


Soaked in Salt

by JayofDiamonds



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Elements directly lifted from The Little Mermaid (1989), Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, mermaid Kyungsoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-03 03:28:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14559861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayofDiamonds/pseuds/JayofDiamonds
Summary: Chanyeol has always believed in mermaids. When his father goes missing at sea and Chanyeol survives a sinking, it becomes so much realer. Then a strange boy washes ashore almost a month after the sinking, and Chanyeol’s absolutely convinced he’s a mermaid in disguise.





	Soaked in Salt

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #: L124  
> Pairing: Chanyeol/Kyungsoo  
> Monster(s): Mermaids  
> Rating: T  
> Word Count: 24, 572  
> Warnings: minor character death (not anyone based on a real person), one near drowning episode, and one minor & brief mention of passive suicide ideation. I don’t think any of these are written in a way that would cause too much distress, but please be safe anyway!!  
> Author's Note: Even though I strayed from the prompt, if the prompter is still around, I hope the story is still enjoyable!! Anyone else who reads this, thank you, and I hope you enjoy too! And a very big thank you to the monsterfest mods, who were very kind and understanding!!

For as long as he can remember, Chanyeol has believed in mermaids. Living by the sea all his life, it had always seemed so absolutely possible. When the water is calm, they could be lounging on rocks, sunbathing in the midday heat, just around the bend from Chanyeol on the beach. When the water is wild, Chanyeol watches from his bedroom window and imagines them taking ships down into the depths, cresting the dark waves with wild eyes and sharp teeth.

Fish though, Chanyeol hates those. If there’s one thing he doesn’t want to be, it’s a fisherman like his father. When he was a little boy, the ocean held a mystical charm, and the smell of saltwater cleared his head. He’d putter along the beach every chance he’d got, bare feet in the warmer months, rubber boots in the colder, picking up neat rocks and scanning the horizon. Extra time was spent examining the large rocks Chanyeol suspected the mermaids liked to relax on. Never a pearly comb or seashell bra to speak of. But Chanyeol never lost hope.

When he got older, his father began taking Chanyeol and his sister out on the water. It was exciting at first, to be out so often, feel the spray against his face as he leaned over the edge of the boat to scan the water. Still no mermaids. Sensible of them, Chanyeol had always thought. The boat is rather loud. And slowly, Chanyeol starts to hate the sea.

It becomes a chore, a dull task, going out on the water. It isn’t a great adventure, like exploring the sandy alcoves of the beach, but a grey slog, wet and cold. Chanyeol hates the smell of the fish, hates seeing them flop helplessly against each other in their net until they suffocate on all the air. And the stories Chanyeol’s father tells him about mermaids scare him.

He never brings it up around the other men, but after dinner sometimes, when Chanyeol can still feel the damp chill cling to his bones, even in the warm house, his father tells stories. They’re never nice stories, and Chanyeol’s sister would rather wash the dishes than listen to them. She doesn’t believe in mermaids anyway, not really. Her favourite princess is Jasmine. She likes science. She doesn’t _believe_. But Chanyeol does, and maybe that’s why their father makes a point of telling him.

The stories are of vicious creatures, not fair maidens with beautiful enchanting voices and silky hair. They have silver tails, smooth, like sharks, and teeth for tearing and rending flesh hidden behind deceptively human lips. Their voices aren’t beautiful, but draw fishermen in by magical means. It’s an eerie, haunting sound, Chanyeol’s father says, the sound of death. The way he talks about them makes Chanyeol sure his father has really seen mermaids.

When Chanyeol starts school, proper school, he’s 13, because everything moves slower on the island. Chanyeol’s mother had put her foot down. Unlike his father, she could tell Chanyeol didn’t want to stay on the island forever. He wanted to know something that wasn’t fish. It was only then that Chanyeol was exposed to the rest of the island beyond the nice granny who runs the general store down the road from his house and the men his father works with and the people who work at his mother’s diner. It was then that he discovered what the rest of the island thought of his father.

To the rest of the island, Chanyeol’s father was a crazy man. They regarded his stories with the same disbelief as Chanyeol’s sister, but without her familial fondness to soften the judgement. When some of his classmates realize who Chanyeol is, they laugh in his face, and Chanyeol can only grin awkwardly like he’s laughing too. There had always been a funny spark in his father’s eye when he told his stories, angry, hungry. If Chanyeol were more well read, he might compare his father to Ahab, and the elusive mermaids to his white whale. As things stand, it reminds him of Charles Muntz from _Up_ and the bird Kevin.

So Chanyeol keeps his own interest in mermaids a secret.

And life goes on. Chanyeol keeps working on his father’s boat when he’s not at school. School is okay. Sometimes it makes Chanyeol feel dumb, but his mother says he’s just not used to classroom learning. His sister gets a job at the coffee and doughnut shop at the other end of the island. Soon she leaves the island to go to university in the city. At some point Chanyeol has to look down to see his mother rather than up.

Besides that, things rarely change, until one summer, they do. The weather that year is terrible, it seems every other day a storm rolls in and batters the island, bringing rough seas and toppled trees. Going out on the water is treacherous, but necessary. Even in their yellow rain jackets, Chanyeol and the other men on his father's boat go home at night soaked through. There are salt stains on the windowsill where the water drips down from shirts and socks hung up in the sun to dry, dusty white residue like frost on a window pane stretching across the stone. The worst part is the weather is so hot sometimes, but to protect from the biting sea water Chanyeol has to be bundled up in layers. The days where he can just roam the island with his bike and a popsicle from the general store are a blessing.

But it's on one of these days that his father goes missing. It _is_ possible to go missing on land, even though the island is fairly small. Houses are spread out, and there are so many coves and caves and crannies to get lost in along the coast. But his father gets lost at sea, and it’s so much harder to find someone out there. Chanyeol comes back from a leisurely cycle around the island early that summer to find his mother looking out at the water from their front yard, her eyebrows pinched together in concern.

Leaning his bike up against the fence, Chanyeol turns to see what she's looking at. It's just the water, calm for once, so he turns back to look at her.

"Dinner's almost ready," she says absent-mindedly.

Chanyeol nods and eyes her again before walking past her into the house, letting the screen door clatter loudly closed behind him. The warm wind's picking up, and the golden day is turning grey as clouds settle over the island.

"Where's Dad?" Chanyeol calls back to his mother.

"He took the boat out," she answers, coming into the house after him.

"The _boat_?" Chanyeol asks, rummaging through the old fridge idly.

His mother smiles indulgently and knocks the fridge door closed with her hip. "I said dinner's almost ready, didn't I? The motor boat. Just going around the island by himself. I thought he'd be back by now."

Chanyeol joins his mother in looking out the screen door towards the sea. She wipes her hands nervously on her yellow apron, and Chanyeol grabs her hand and shakes it a bit, grinning reassuringly at her.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon. We should eat dinner without him to make him feel sorry for making you worry," he says.

So they do. But when Chanyeol wakes up the next morning, his father isn't back.

The worn stairs squeak on his way downstairs in the morning, and by the time he gets into the kitchen, his mother and the young police constable are watching the doorway, expecting him. Chanyeol has never especially liked Junmyeon, but that’s mostly because his father teaches maths at Chanyeol’s school, and Chanyeol doesn’t like maths.

“What’s up?”

“Your father isn’t back yet,” Chanyeol’s mother gets up to greet him, wringing her hands. She latches onto his arm like she’s worried he’ll vanish too.

Junmyeon stands politely, smiling at them in a detachedly reassuring sort of way. “I’m sure he’ll be fine Mrs. Lee. I’ll contact the department on the mainland, and they can send over some more bodies tomorrow to look.”

“ _Tomorrow_?”

Patting his mother’s arm to calm her, Chanyeol tries to put on his serious mature adult voice, and not sound like a whiny child. “But he went off by boat, she must’ve told you that?”

“Have you checked to make sure his boat isn’t back?” Junmyeon asks, in his usual reassuring, placating tone. He’s perfectly polite, but Chanyeol can’t help but feel like he’s being talked down to.

With an intake of breath, Chanyeol draws himself up to his full height, which is honestly only like an inch taller than Junmyeon. It also doesn’t help him in the muscle department. Even under the loose windbreaker Junmyeon’s wearing, with police emblems all over it, it’s clear he’s way buffer than Chanyeol.

“I’ve checked,” Chanyeol’s mother answers, oblivious to Chanyeol’s mental posturing.

“Look Mrs. Lee,” Junmyeon says levely, “your husband has done this before. I can’t be responsible for calling in reinforcements for a search party just for him to turn up the next day. I’m sorry. It’s just procedure.”

“But that happens when he’s just… gotten lost on his way back from the pub or something,” Chanyeol’s mother protests, trying to physically stop Junmyeon from turning to leave. “He’s never not come back from the sea!”

Junmyeon sighs, looking a little unsure of himself. “I suppose… If you can get some people, maybe the men he works with, into a search party, I can lead it, if need be. But for more police I have to wait until tomorrow. You know where to reach me if there are any developments.”

With that, Junmyeon leaves, closing the screen door carefully behind him.

“I’m going to telephone them, they can take the boat out and look,” Chanyeol’s mother says, almost to herself, turning and picking up the receiver of the yellowed telephone hanging on the wall by the calendar.

Chanyeol nods silently, sitting heavily at the kitchen table. He’s only half paying attention as his mother talks hurriedly on the phone, dials another number, talks, dials again, again and again.

When she’s finished, Chanyeol stands. “I want to go too.”

“Chanyeol…” his mother starts, obviously hesitant.

“I work on the boat too. I should go.”

Chanyeol’s mother never really agrees to it, but Chanyeol ends up going. Junmyeon doesn't. The men on the boat don't like him. It feels like just another fishing trip, except for the subdued atmosphere, the sober silence among the men.

And when they get far out to sea, as far as they usually go to fish, no sign of Chanyeol’s father, the storm hits. It seems to come out of nowhere, clouds white and waves calm one moment, and the next thunder is rumbling in the heavy grey clouds, and the sea grows dark.

The men scramble about the boat, used to such conditions, and Chanyeol mostly just tries to stay out of the way. God, he hates this boat. The storm rages on for several minutes.

Suddenly the wind whipping rain into Chanyeol’s face seems to stop, suspended in time, and he turns his head slowly to look out across the dark water. The sound of the storm and the other men fades until it’s as quiet as a peaceful day on an empty beach, only the soft sound of the ocean, even as Chanyeol’s eyes can see it’s frothing and grey and raging. When he moves, he’s in a dream, slow, not like he’s being held down by anything, but like it’s natural for his limbs to drift softly through the air as if it’s water. Then he hears it.

Across the water, inconstant at first, comes a voice. The wind Chanyeol can no longer hear cuts the voice off sometimes, but it seems to be getting closer and as it does, it gets clearer. It’s someone singing, a boy maybe, with a sweet deep voice, a song in a language Chanyeol could never understand. It’s beautiful, and without realizing what he’s doing Chanyeol leans over the edge of the boat, trying to hear better, or see better, or just get closer, mesmerized by the sound. He wants to be where the song is coming from, he wants it to never end, he wants to have it, to hold it in his hands and have it surround him, and he topples without a sound over the side of the boat, plunging headfirst into the cold salt water.

As soon as Chanyeol’s submerged in the water, the spell breaks, and he panics, resurfacing and shouting for help, the sound of the storm loud in his ears again. Around him, he hears several loud splashes, and turns as he treads water to see others falling off the boat into the water. He doesn’t see them resurface.

“Hey,” Chanyeol tries to shout over the thunderous crash of waves, freezing water washing over his head, salt burning his throat and stinging his eyes. Why is the water so cold? Body after body plunges into the sea. Why aren’t they coming back up?

His body is feeling numb from the cold, the soaked layers of his clothes weighing him down, and at first Chanyeol doesn’t feel the pressure around his ankle, until it suddenly tugs him down beneath the waves. Frantically, Chanyeol kicks out with his free leg, hitting something squarely, and his ankle’s released. Again, he resurfaces, coughing and sputtering.

Struggling to take in a mouthful of air, and squinting against the gloom, Chanyeol doesn’t see the looming shape of the boat tossing in the waves until it’s too late, and it rams into him, pushing him underwater with no hope of surfacing. The water’s even murkier than the air, greenish and dark, but calmer than above the surface. Chanyeol doesn’t feel calm though, his fingers scrabbling at the metal hull of the boat as it pins him down beneath the waves, his lungs burning for air.

For a moment in his frantic struggling, Chanyeol thinks he sees a shape out of the corner of his eye, and turns to see it again. Through the cloudy water, a vaguely human shape floats, a dark silhouette, arms moving as if treading water. But the bottom half moves like a snake, undulating in the water, and then Chanyeol hears the voice again.

It isn’t the same as before, but it also isn’t as muffled as Chanyeol thinks it should sound underwater, just altered. The song is even more beautiful than before, and Chanyeol’s mouth drops open before he can think, mouth filling with water. Yet he cannot struggle against what must be him drowning, he can feel himself swallowing water. Rather, he is at peace, suspended in the dim green water, with nothing but the voice enveloping him. His eyes drift closed, and he loses consciousness immediately.

The next thing he remembers is warmth, and the voice returning. It’s different again, quiet and soft and close, unsteady, not to carry across the sea, but like the song is meant for only Chanyeol to hear. Like whoever is singing doesn’t want anyone else to listen to them.

Then Chanyeol feels a touch on his forehead, brushing his hair aside with clammy wet fingers, unbearably gentle, but so cold, and Chanyeol flinches a bit, consciousness returning. The song stops for a moment, unsure, but when Chanyeol’s eyes stay closed it continues.

Slowly, Chanyeol’s eyes flutter open, unseeing, vision swimming with the bright golden light of day. Someone’s leaning over him, pressed against his side, and he tries to peer over, but only gets a glance at wide dark brown eyes before the cold hand on his forehead is pushing his head back to lie down again. Chanyeol realizes he’s lying in sand, and his clothes have been torn, and there isn’t any water in his lungs, and this must be a mermaid, and he passes out again.

It’s the granny from the general store who finds him. She was scouring the beach for shells to make into charms to sell tourists, and finds Chanyeol unconscious but breathing steadily, low tide leaving him stranded on the sand. Nobody else in sight.

Chanyeol wakes up in a neighbour’s house, closest to the beach, with his mother and assorted neighbours all crowded around him. He feels terrible, throat burning, head pounding, body sore, ears still ringing with the mermaid’s song. His clothes are torn, particularly his shirt and jacket away from his chest, and everything’s caked with wet sand. The others are all talking over each other, asking about their husbands and brothers and fathers that were on the boat with Chanyeol, and Chanyeol’s mother is crying.

It seems to last forever, lying on that couch feeling like he’s still drowning, in noise and stifling air this time. The neighbours all cast angry looks at him, furious that he’s alive. His mother bundles him back up to their house on top the cliff. She makes him take a long bath, washing his hair for him like when he was a child, and lets him sit up with her as she goes about her nightly chores.

Watching her move about the kitchen, cast in a warm orange light from the ugly old overhead lamp, Chanyeol starts to cry. Just slowly, he barely notices the hot tears drip down his face, wrapped in two quilts at the kitchen table. With his sister away at university, and his father missing, they’re all that’s left. They only have each other now.

The rest of the summer, Chanyeol is either at his mother’s side, or on the beach where he was found. He hasn’t told anyone, not even his mother, about the mermaid. _His_ mermaid. But every day, he goes down to the sea and stares at the horizon, at the frothy waves, at the whales breaching in the distance. Chanyeol’s sure the mermaid saved him, brought him back to the beach, like in the Disney movie. Sometimes he sits with his back to the water, only to turn around suddenly, hoping to catch a glimpse of his mermaid trying to sneak up on him. Nothing. But he’s sure they’re out there, watching over him.

The neighbours think it’s survivor’s guilt, accept his daily habit as some sort of atonement. Some wish he would walk into the waves until his head is submerged and never return. Chanyeol wonders if his mermaid would save him if he tried to kill himself. But when he returns home to his mother’s fragile smile, he knows he could never risk it.

She gets him a dog, to keep him company, give him something to do. She doesn’t tell him the dog used to belong to one of the men who worked on his father’s boat, who died when it sank. It brings such a happiness to Chanyeol’s face his mother can’t bear to put such a damper on one of the first smiles since the disappearance, since the sinking. She’s a handsome dog, big and burly with masses of black fur. She loves to swim, and Chanyeol entrusts her with the mermaid secret.

Of course school had to start again sometime. Chanyeol’s mother makes him go, it’s his last year, he should graduate. Chanyeol wonders if she wants him to go to school so he’ll be able to leave this town, the island, live in the city like his sister. Maybe then his mother can leave too. So he goes to school. He can’t take the dog.

It’s a half hour walk along the coastal road to the high school, although the fastest Chanyeol’s ever made it there was eight minutes on his bike with the wind behind him. (He almost careened off a cliff into the ocean and nearly got swept away by water in an opening levee but hey, he made it to class on time.) There’s a storm on the first day of school, although nothing as bad as the ones in the summer. Still, the wind whips the sea into Chanyeol’s face all the way to school, and he’s cold and damp by the time he gets there. Half the kids are just the same, so Chanyeol doesn’t feel too bad about his soggy socks and the way his hair is plastered across his forehead.

The first day—hell, the first week—feels like a dream. Not in a good way, or even a bad way, it just doesn’t feel real. Chanyeol has this persistent weight in his forehead, like a sinus headache, but he’s not sick. Hours go by and they feel like seconds, minutes go by and they feel like days. Every teacher and student has the same things to say to him, “I heard about your father, I’m so sorry, I’m sure they’ll find him soon” and “I heard about the boat sinking, I’m so glad you’re alright”, and watch him with the same funny look on their faces. Like they all know Chanyeol’s father is dead and pity him that he hasn’t accepted it yet. Like they all know Chanyeol himself should be dead too. Chanyeol, usually ever the moodmaker, feels glum and introverted, and his friends from last year do nothing to pull him out of his funk, leaving him entirely to his own devices. 

And sometimes in class, he finds himself daydreaming about that voice, those eyes. It fills him with an inexplicable longing for a place he has never been to. A homesickness for a home he has not yet made. 

Soon after school starts, two things stop the rumours flying.

The first is that Chanyeol’s father is found. It’s endlessly relieving but terribly boring at the same time. Chanyeol doesn’t mind. They could do with a little boring. His father had been caught in a current, and then caught in a storm, and ended up washed up on the mainland, unconscious. This whole time he’d been lying in a hospital, unconscious and unidentified. Absolutely no mermaid involvement whatsoever. Chanyeol’s mother takes the ferry to the mainland for an overnight, and comes back to tell Chanyeol his father will be continuing to recover in the hospital, not coming home yet.

The second thing is that a strange boy washes up on the island. Chanyeol finds him, a week after they hear the news about his father.

It’s a day off school, and Chanyeol is walking along the rocky beach with Diana. She’s such an energetic dog, it’s difficult to just sit still on the beach, they have to wander together. The wind is strong, colder now as the autumn drifts closer, wildly ruffling his fluffy hair. Inside his rubber boots, Chanyeol’s wearing two pairs of socks, and has a dark blue hoodie under a yellow knitted pullover under a blue windbreaker. He’s still a little cold, and stuffs his hands into the back pockets of his corduroys grouchily. The horrible maths teacher singled him out again in class yesterday because he wasn’t paying attention, making Chanyeol irritable now, fixating on his feet kicking the smaller rocks around.

Diana’s barking excitedly, but that’s nothing new, so Chanyeol ignores her to continue cussing out his maths teacher in his head. Suddenly Diana barrels into him, her massive front paws thudding against his body insistently, huffing and whining urgently. The beach turns into fine sand a few paces ahead of Chanyeol, and a few paces further, there’s a body, half in the water. The oddest sensation makes Chanyeol want to dash over desperately, but tugs him away in fear at the same time. It’s Diana’s insistent weight behind him that makes the decision, pushing him forward to the body.

It’s a boy, probably younger than Chanyeol. Small. He’s wearing a black t-shirt and black corduroy trousers, soaked through with cold seawater. No shoes. No socks. His skin is pale with an unnatural pallor, almost deathly, and his lips are turning blue. He’s got multiple silver earrings on each ear, so maybe older? Just small in stature? His hair is black too, like his clothes, cropped short and flattened down with water. To Chanyeol, he seems to gleam, the sheen of water on his skin making his lovely round cheeks glisten like pearls.

“Hey,” Chanyeol says quietly, like it’s going to wake him up.

Nothing happens but the frigid water lapping at the boy’s waist, splashing Chanyeol’s knees where he crouches beside the body. Hoping he’s not dead, Chanyeol stands and begins to pull him up the beach, away from the water, sand smearing wetly on his clothes. The fabric of the shirt is freezing cold, wet and clammy, and Chanyeol avoids touching any skin. Chanyeol can handle it, but the boy’s heavy. Deadweight.

Looking down at the boy, barely breathing, if he’s breathing at all, the situation seems to hit Chanyeol finally, and he stands and shouts, “Help!” at the top of his lungs.

After several more cries, it’s the granny from the general store again who finds Chanyeol yelling. She kneels, grumbling about her knees cracking, and examines the body.

“Is he dead?” Chanyeol asks, wringing his cold hands.

“Of course not, silly boy,” she says, not unkindly. “But he needs help. He’s not from this island. You’ll have to carry him.”

With great trepidation, Chanyeol lets the granny help him get the strange boy onto his back, and he piggy-backs him all the way back to her house. It’s above the general store, but they go in the back, through a soggy porch with peeling green paint and dangling with wind chimes, up some stairs into an old kitchen. Taking his shoes off while holding a whole person on your back is quite difficult, Chanyeol realizes then, but he manages. When they get inside, Chanyeol moves to put the boy in front of the fireplace, but the granny waves him into the bathroom.

“Take his clothes off.”

“What?!” Chanyeol squawks, still holding the boy on his back. Diana hangs back in the doorway. She never liked bathrooms, but seems concerned for the boy.

“Off. I’m putting him in the bath.”

She turns to see Chanyeol’s scandalized expression, and gestures sharply to put the boy down. “Fine. I’ll do it. Go into the store and call your mother, tell her to bring you two changes of clothes. Tell her what happened if she asks. Have a licorice. Then put some water out for the dog.”

Chanyeol nods and slowly lowers himself until the boy is propped up on the toilet lid, then lifts him from there into the bathtub. His skin is still deathly pale, and it makes Chanyeol nauseous. There’s no indication of life, dark eyelashes wet and unmoving against his cheeks, bluish lips sealed tightly but jaw lax. When the granny begins peeling his wet shirt off, Chanyeol makes himself scarce, repeating her instructions in his head like a mantra. It takes a few doors before he finds the stairs down into the general store. The store is dark, the lights off, and a storm rolling in outside.

The telephone is behind the counter where all the sweets are kept, and Chanyeol finds the glass jar with the long red ropes of licorice. After typing in his mother’s phone number at the diner, he stares at the licorice in anticipation as the phone rings. Nobody picks up. Chanyeol calls home.

After three rings, his mother answers.

“Mum?”

“ _Chanyeol? Where are you? There’s a storm coming, you’d better come home._ ”

“I can’t,” Chanyeol says. “I found a boy on the beach. I’m at the general store.”

There’s a clatter and a gasp on the other end of the line. “ _Who? Is he alright? What happened?_ ”

“I don’t know, he was unconscious. Granny’s taking care of him. Not from this island, she said. She told me to ask you for two changes of clothes.”

“ _Okay_ ,” Chanyeol’s mother says, sounding as sensible and businesslike as the granny had. “ _How old is he? Should I bring your old clothes for him or will he fit anything from your closet?_ ”

It hadn’t even occurred to Chanyeol that the second set of clothes were meant for the strange boy. “I can’t tell. Younger, I think. Smaller, anyway. Just bring whatever.”

“ _Okay. I love you, I’ll be there soon._ ”

The line is beginning to crackle bad enough that Chanyeol can barely hear his mother’s voice, so he just nods and hangs up. Then he gets a licorice rope, the glass lid coming off the jar with a satisfying pop. With one hanging from his mouth, it occurs to Chanyeol maybe the strange boy would like one when he wakes up, so he grabs a second.

Back upstairs, Diana is still sitting anxiously in the bathroom doorway, tail thumping against the discoloured hardwood floor of the hallway. The granny is in the kitchen, putting a big bowl of water on the floor. She frowns when she sees Chanyeol in the doorway, indicating the licorice in his hand with a sharp look.

“It’s for him,” Chanyeol speaks around the licorice rope still hanging from his mouth, pointing to the bathroom. “Mum’s coming.”

The granny nods, accepting the excuse, and turns back to the counter. “Go keep him company while I finish making my dinner.”

“He’s awake?” Chanyeol says, surprised. “...What’s his name?”

“Kyungsoo, he says.”

Nodding, Chanyeol turns to walk slowly towards the bathroom, lingering by Diana where she sits, still whining nervously. The bathroom’s empty. Chanyeol’s about to lean back to call for the granny when the water in the bathtub moves. Suddenly, a person emerges from the water, with a loud slosh of water, sitting up like they had been lying on the bottom of the tub. It’s the boy. Diana overcomes her fear and bounds into the bathroom to stand at the side of the bathtub, and the boy turns to look at her.

He looks...funny. Chanyeol plans to follow Diana in and introduce himself, after a brief look. But he finds himself staring for longer than he intended. Kyungsoo’s face is regular enough, Chanyeol supposes, nice round cheeks, heavy brows, eyes kind of buggy. What’s weird is his skin. It isn’t just the water, like Chanyeol had thought on the beach. It’s like he’s being hit by a more beautiful light than the harsh fluorescents in the bathroom, a pearlescent sheen glimmering across his soft cheekbones and down his nose every time he shifts his head. A pretty light dances down the shell of his ear, glinting off his silver earrings, as he turns his head to look directly at Chanyeol.

It feels like Kyungsoo’s gaze is physically pinning him down. Chanyeol regrets calling his eyes buggy, because firstly, it kind of feels like Kyungsoo is reading his mind, and secondly, they aren’t buggy. They’re mesmerizing. It’s that spark of love at first sight in a romantic comedy, and the steely gaze of a predator sizing up his prey. Chanyeol, being quite large, and still growing, is not used to feeling like he’s being hunted, yet his heart is beating heavily in his throat. The room seems to drift away, like nothing but those captivating eyes exist, and Chanyeol’s drowning again, cold and numb, chest burning with breathlessness.

Then Diana barks loudly, and it startles them both enough that Kyungsoo breaks his hold on Chanyeol, looking at the dog in a deeply offended manner. Then he looks back at Chanyeol, whose mouth is hanging open unattractively, blinks at him a couple times, quite regularly, and looks away.

It feels like forever before Chanyeol finds his voice again, and when he does he cleverly says, “Uh, hi?”

“Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo pronounces slowly, like he’s testing out the sound in his mouth. Something about the strange boy saying his name makes Chanyeol feel like he’s just been cursed. Kyungsoo fixes Chanyeol with another look, and either he’s not trying to read anyone’s mind this time, or Chanyeol just got used to it. “That’s your name?”

“Oh, uh! Yeah,” Chanyeol steps into the bathroom, just one step, feeling weirdly skittish around Kyungsoo. “You’re Kyungsoo? 

“Yes. Who is this?” Kyungsoo looks down at Diana critically, an eyebrow raised. He speaks with an odd sort of forced clarity, like he isn’t used to speaking English.

Smiling a bit, Chanyeol comes closer, patting his leg so Diana turns and comes to greet him. “This is Diana. I know she’s big and excitable, but she won’t hurt you, she’s really friendly.”

Kyungsoo stares intently at Diana where she wiggles her head between Chanyeol’s hands. Despite the initial fear, which seems almost foolish now, Chanyeol feels a sort of fondness blooming in his chest for the weird boy. Though he still has his reservations, this Kyungsoo seems to be interested in Diana, so he can’t be all bad.

“Here,” Chanyeol nervously sits on the toilet lid beside the bathtub, leading Diana to sit on the floor between his legs, “you can greet her by holding your hand out for her to sniff. Like this.”

Holding his hand out, palm up, under Diana’s snout, Chanyeol smiles hesitantly at Kyungsoo. “Under, like this. If you raise your hand over, it can scare a dog, especially when they’re meeting a stranger.”

Water sloshes in the bathtub as Kyungsoo moves to lean over the edge of the bathtub, a sobering reminder for Chanyeol that this Kyungsoo kid is, in fact, naked in there. Glancing at Chanyeol’s hand once more, Kyungsoo holds his own hand out like Chanyeol’s. It’s shaking slightly, and his eyebrows are pinched together.

Gently, but enthusiastically, Diana rubs her wet nose against Kyungsoo’s palm. When he doesn’t pull his hand away, she licks his hand excitedly, probably after the salt in the seawater still soaked into his skin. Chanyeol watches Kyungsoo carefully for any sign of discomfort, but he looks in awe, mouth hanging open a bit as Diana continues to rub against his hand, his eyes wide with a boyish wonder.

“You can pet her now, she obviously approves of you. You like dogs?” Chanyeol asks. The silence is getting deafening. It isn’t awkward, it’s just the weird acoustics of the bathroom, and Chanyeol’s curious.

“I don’t know.”

Okay, now the silence might be getting awkward. Chanyeol gets the feeling that Kyungsoo doesn’t actually want to speak to him, with such short answers. So he just watches as Kyungsoo carefully moves his hand up Diana’s snout, tracing a finger delicately between her eyes until he gets to the top of her head. With another slosh of water, Kyungsoo brings his other hand up alongside the first, toying with Diana’s floppy ears, smoothing the fur gently.

“Do you?”

Chanyeol startles a bit when Kyungsoo’s voice breaks the silence. Watching his hands move had been getting mesmerizing.

“Uh,” Chanyeol starts, before adjusting his volume, “do I what? ...Oh, like dogs?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t look away from his care of Diana. “Yes.”

“Yeah, of course,” Chanyeol says, smiling brightly. So Kyungsoo _does_ want to talk to him, he’s just awkward. Good to know, very good. Plus Chanyeol does love dogs. “I like most animals really, but I love dogs! And Diana’s a great one.”

Finally Kyungsoo looks up at Chanyeol’s face, and seems surprised to see him smiling. For a moment, Chanyeol’s smile falters at Kyungsoo’s wide eyed stare, but then Kyungsoo returns his smile ever so slightly. It’s just a little upturn of the lips, with nervous eyes, like he isn’t sure if he’s doing it right. Or maybe he’s just nervous about being naked in a strange lady’s bathtub, with a strange boy and strange dog bothering him.

“Are you feeling warmer? You were really cold… when I found you,” Chanyeol says after a moment, and Kyungsoo looks back down at Diana.

“You found me?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol nods, “on the beach.”

Kyungsoo watches Chanyeol carefully. “Like this?”

“Well, you had clothes on,” Chanyeol says with a nervous grin. He really hopes Kyungsoo drops this line of questioning about his lack of clothes. “Granny’s just put them in the washer. And my mum’s coming with some of my spare clothes, for you to wear in the meantime.”

There is another lull in conversation, a pause which Chanyeol itches to fill, but he makes himself wait for Kyungsoo to reply. And he does. “I’m warmer now. Thank you.”

The thanks encompasses many things, the gravity of Kyungsoo’s tone makes that clear. Chanyeol nods again, feeling proud of himself. Mostly for shutting up long enough to let Kyungsoo speak, but also because Kyungsoo does look more comfortable. Chanyeol likes to think it was his reassuring presence too, not just the warm bath.

“Boy,” the granny calls from the hall, “your mother’s here, come let her in!”

“Oh, that’s me,” Chanyeol says to Kyungsoo. He realizes he’s been holding the extra licorice rope the whole time. Breaking off the bit that’s become sticky and nasty from his own hand, Chanyeol offers the rest to Kyungsoo. “Would you like some licorice? On the house.”

Tentatively, Kyungsoo takes the licorice and holds it between his forefinger and thumb. Chanyeol fends off Diana when she leans in to sniff it curiously.

“You eat it,” Chanyeol explains after a moment of just watching Kyungsoo stare at the licorice rope in his hand. “Or maybe you don’t like licorice?”

“I’ve never tried it before. I’ll eat it.”

“Okay, well,” Chanyeol’s feeling awkward again, “I’ll be right back. Stay here Diana.”

Popping the extra gross piece into his mouth, Chanyeol makes his way to the door before turning back, a thought occuring to him. “Oh, uh, don’t feed it to Diana if you don’t like it, it’s bad for dogs.”

Kyungsoo finally looks up from his death stare at the licorice rope to nod at Chanyeol, face set in determination.

Outside the back door, Chanyeol’s mother is standing, hair damp from the rain. In her arms is a plastic bag full of clothes. She smiles widely when Chanyeol opens the door.

“Hey Mum, you made it okay?”

“The storm isn’t too bad yet, just rain,” she answers, carefully removing her shoes and tucking them neatly beside Chanyeol’s. After a pause, she straightens Chanyeol’s where he had kicked them off haphazardly earlier. “Is the boy awake? How is he?”

Chanyeol leads his mother up the stairs, taking the clothes from her. “Yeah, he woke up. His name’s Kyungsoo. He’s weird.”

With a tsk, Chanyeol’s mother swats at his thigh. “I meant his health and wellbeing!”

“Ah, Youngmi, good,” the granny greets Chanyeol’s mother with a nod of her head before turning to Chanyeol. “You can get changed in the room at the end of the hall. Since the bathroom is occupied.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol nods. He’ll be happy to be out of his damp sandy clothes.

“And give the boy the extras,” the granny calls after him.

Pulling the bag open, Chanyeol finds a pair of his old pyjamas, ones that he grew out of a while ago, and extra clothes for him. He assumes the old pyjama set is for Kyungsoo. It’s a matching set of pyjama pants and a t-shirt, dark blue with glittery yellow stars scattered over it, and a full yellow moon in the middle of the chest.

“Kyungsoo,” he says, stepping into the bathroom, the door still open.

Kyungsoo seems a little startled, looking up at Chanyeol abruptly from where he was talking quietly to Diana. He immediately stops, embarrassed. Chanyeol smiles. He’s hardly in a position to judge Kyungsoo for talking to a dog, since Chanyeol does that all the time. Lately, Diana’s been his closest confidant.

“These clothes are for you,” Chanyeol says, putting them on top of the towel now sitting on the lid of the toilet. “Dry yourself off and get dressed, okay? I’m gonna go get changed too.”

Rummaging through the bag for his clothes, Chanyeol is horrified to find two pairs of underpants at the bottom. With an involuntary grimace and extreme reluctance, he pulls out one of them.

“Oh, and underpants, here,” he barks, practically throwing them onto the pile and turning to flee the room.

Kyungsoo’s confused voice follows him into the hall, but Chanyeol doesn’t stop. “Under pants?”

It’s really up to Kyungsoo whether or not he’s comfortable wearing someone else’s underpants, and frankly Chanyeol wants nothing more to do with the matter. Ears burning in embarrassment, Chanyeol finds the room at the end of the hall, being used for some kind of storage, and quickly gets changed, stuffing his dirty clothes back into the bag.

When Chanyeol returns to the kitchen, his mother is already fussing over Kyungsoo. She hasn’t even met him yet, he’s still changing in the bathroom, but she finds a way.

“Should we call for the doctor?” she asks worriedly.

The granny shakes her head. “He’s fine. Dr. Zhang lives on the other end of the island, we can’t ask him here in this weather.”

As if to reinforce her point, a gust of wind makes rain pound loudly against the roof.

Chanyeol’s mother tries again. “Dr. Byun?”

“The _vet_?” The granny scoffs.

“He’s not even a full official vet yet,” Chanyeol offers.

“Dr. Kim?”

“Mum, Dr. Kim is a marine biologist. Unless Kyungsoo’s secretly a fish, I don’t think he can help us.”

Crossing her arms, Chanyeol’s mother frowns at him. She opens her mouth to say something, when there’s a loud clatter from the bathroom. In a flash, Chanyeol and his mother are at the door, knocking softly and calling Kyungsoo’s name through the door. The granny brushes past them, opening the door abruptly.

Kyungsoo is sprawled on the floor of the bathroom, Chanyeol’s shirt tangled around his neck. The pyjama pants are on (thank goodness, although they’re on backwards), and there are various toiletries strewn about him, like he had reached to the counter for support and ended up knocking everything off it. He’s holding the jagged pieces of a shattered soap dish, and looks up guiltily when the granny opens the door.

There are tears in his eyes, big and wide, and he looks endlessly remorseful. “I didn’t mean to,” he says to the granny, “I- I... It’s heavy here. The floor wasn’t-” He pats the floor, making the small puddle of water splash, blood from his hand pinking the water.

“It’s slippery, you fell,” the granny supplies, taking Kyungsoo’s wrists and shaking the pieces of ceramic out of his bloodied hands. “Don’t worry about that, get up.”

“Your treasures,” he protests tearfully, but the granny only laughs.

“I have much more precious treasures than that!”

Appeased but still tearful, Kyungsoo sits quietly in the kitchen while Chanyeol’s mother gently bandages his hands. Chanyeol watches, and the granny watches, sipping her soup every so often. Kyungsoo’s hands shake and quiver violently, like he’s still cold, and he seems to keep twitching them towards himself like he wants to get them out of Chanyeol’s mother’s hold. But eventually she finishes, job a little sloppier than usual.

“Can you take him?” The granny asks Chanyeol’s mother.

“Of course.” She turns to look kindly at Kyungsoo, like speaking to a scared child. “Kyungsoo, would you like to come home with Chanyeol, Diana, and I? It’s just a short drive.”

“I would like to go to Diana’s home,” Kyungsoo says, looking with interest at the dog.

Chanyeol pouts, refraining from making a “what am I, chopped liver?” comment. His mother smiles at him over Kyungsoo’s shoulder as if saying “he’ll warm up to you”.

The drive home is mostly uneventful, although Kyungsoo seems extremely nervous being in the car. Chanyeol has to sit in the backseat for once, beside Kyungsoo, whose eyes dart around frantically almost the entire ride. He doesn’t even know how to put a seat belt on, and looks quite confused when Chanyeol reaches over and buckles him in, but doesn’t question it.

It isn’t until Kyungsoo is sitting on Chanyeol’s bedroom floor, wrapped in an extra comforter with some pillows stacked around him that Chanyeol asks the important question. Kyungsoo looks warm and cozy, almost smiling, like a normal boy, if it weren’t for the amazed way he’s staring around Chanyeol’s very ordinary room.

“Hey so…” Chanyeol starts nervously, before finding his resolve. He doesn’t even know Kyungsoo that well, so what should he care if he thinks Chanyeol’s crazy. “Did you see anything? In the water?”

Kyungsoo blinks slowly. “I like it here. You have so many things. Treasures.”

“I have... a regular number of things, and I don’t really think I’d call that many of them _treasures_ ,” Chanyeol says defensively. What a weird fucking kid. “Don’t change the subject here.”

“Why do you ask? Is there something you think I should have seen?”

“I almost drowned myself you know. A few… no. Not even one month ago yet. Just a few weeks ago.” Chanyeol doesn’t want to be callous, but he doesn’t want to linger either, so he just explains as quickly as possible. “The boat I was on sunk, and everyone else died.”

Tugging the thick comforter around himself tighter, Kyungsoo doesn’t meet Chanyeol’s gaze. He seems scared, eyes fixed unseeing on a spot on the floor. It makes Chanyeol feel a little guilty, for prodding Kyungsoo so soon after a presumably traumatic experience, so he speaks softly, thinking about helping Kyungsoo with his memory. If he is indeed a human who was in a boating accident, which Chanyeol seriously doubts right now.

“Were you on a boat?”

“No,” Kyungsoo answers quietly, but he sounds sure. After a pause, he continues in the same subdued tone. “I’m sorry about your boat. The others.”

“Yeah.”

There’s another pause, longer, as dull despair hangs heavy in the air. 

“How-” Kyungsoo’s voice isn’t strong, and he still isn’t looking at Chanyeol, small shoulders curled in beneath the comforter. He clears his throat with a cough and starts again. “How did you get back?”

“Someone saved me.”

Kyungsoo looks up then, eyes snapping to Chanyeol’s face in a reserved sort of surprise. “Saved?” 

“A mermaid.”

It’s almost disappointing when Kyungsoo doesn’t even look shocked at that, or show any reaction at all. Finally he says, “I thought they were bad?”

“Oh. Yeah, my dad says the same thing. Well, the one that saved me must be not so bad then,” Chanyeol says with forced confidence.

“It’s nice of you to think so,” Kyungsoo says softly, looking down at his hands. “Can we sleep? I’m tired.”

“Oh. Sure.”

Frowning, Chanyeol turns his light off and lies down in his bed. This told him nothing.

The next morning, Baekhyun shows up on his bicycle, Dr. Byun, as Chanyeol’s mother would say, even though he’s not actually finished his doctorate, need Chanyeol remind her. Chanyeol’s up early, voluntarily getting some breakfast together in the kitchen. He was a little unnerved by Kyungsoo’s stock still form in a little lump of blankets on his bedroom floor, so he got out of bed earlier than he would usually.

When he goes to fill up the kettle in the sink, Baekhyun’s face pops into view through the window over the sink, grinning brightly. He’s wearing a big ugly brownish-green coat and his gingery hair has been tousled by the wind. Chanyeol lets out a yell at the surprise, dropping the metal kettle into the sink with a clatter and clutching his chest dramatically.

“Baekhyun,” he grumbles as the vet taps on the glass with a finger, still smiling.

“I’m here to see Diana and some mystery boy you found on the beach,” Baekhyun raises his voice to be heard through the glass. “Let me in!”

“Mum,” Chanyeol yells back into the house, “Baekhyun’s here!”

Then with a heavy sigh Chanyeol goes and unlocks the screen door, holding it open for Baekhyun to come in.

Looking Chanyeol up and down, Baekhyun grimaces. “Have you gotten taller again? What is Youngmi feeding you? It’s just despicable.”

“Yeah, yeah, you just have a complex because you’re older than me but shorter,” Chanyeol says with a smug grin. “I’ll go get Kyungsoo. I’m sure your partial vet expertise will be super useful.”

Ignoring Baekhyun’s offended sputters, Chanyeol goes back upstairs, finding Kyungsoo examining Chanyeol’s teddy bears in his room. He only has three, okay?

“I like these,” Kyungsoo looks up at Chanyeol with a small smile, “they’re even softer to pet than Diana.”

“The vet’s here to see you,” Chanyeol says, “or so he says. The actual people doctor is coming in the afternoon to see you, but Baekhyun wants to make sure there’s nothing pressing. Dr. Zhang has to drive over.”

“Oh, okay,” Kyungsoo says, although it sort of sounds like he has no idea what Chanyeol just said. Carefully, he replaces the bears on Chanyeol’s bed, adjusting them so they’re looking out the window together, and starts going downstairs.

Before he follows Kyungsoo down, Chanyeol grabs his pencil case and a blank notebook. He’s always had the bad habit of collecting cool notebooks and sketchbooks and never doing anything in them. There’s his main sketchbook(s) of course, but now he needs a special notebook for a special purpose.

Then he situates himself in a chair in the corner of the kitchen, close enough to eavesdrop on Baekhyun and Kyungsoo at the kitchen table, but not so close that he’s obvious about it. Besides his curiousity, Chanyeol also feels a certain sense of protectiveness over Kyungsoo. He’d like to think Kyungsoo likes him, trusts him even, but Kyungsoo’s obviously fairly nervous around strangers, and Baekhyun is a stranger.

In the front room, Chanyeol’s mother is reading, but Chanyeol kind of gets the idea she’s doing the same thing he’s doing. Just keeping an eye on things.

Baekhyun smiles brightly at Kyungsoo. “I’m Baekhyun, it’s nice to meet you! I’m just going to ask you some questions, okay? They might seem dumb, but just bear with me!”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo says, watching Baekhyun like he’s still assessing his threat level.

“What’s your name then?”

“Kyungsoo.”

Baekhyun writes it down, and so does Chanyeol.

“No family name?”

With a shrug, Kyungsoo looks down at his hands in his lap, mumbling something.

“Do?” Baekhyun leans closer to hear, still giving Kyungsoo his space.

“Yes,” Kyungsoo says, looking up at them again.

There’s a hint of uncertainty in Kyungsoo’s answer that makes Chanyeol narrow his eyes in suspicion. “I thought he said no, not Do,” he mutters to himself.

“Okay,” Baekhyun either ignores Chanyeol, or didn’t hear him, “Kyungsoo Do. Do you know when your birthday is? How old you are?”

Keeping his pencil poised to write, Chanyeol peers over the edge of his notebook, subtly watching Kyungsoo’s reaction. Nervous, looks like, Kyungsoo’s eyes dance around and he rubs his palms on his pyjama pants. ( _Chanyeol’s_ pyjama pants.)

“Same age as Chanyeol,” he finally says. It’s such an obvious cop-out. Chanyeol never told Kyungsoo how old he is.

“And how old is that?”

Even though Baekhyun’s obviously asking Kyungsoo, Chanyeol can’t help but answer. If Kyungsoo is a mermaid, Chanyeol doesn’t want the adults to find out. So for now, he needs to help Kyungsoo not blow his cover.

“Seventeen,” Chanyeol says.

Baekhyun shoots him a little frown, but writes it down anyway.

“Sorry,” Chanyeol looks back down at his notebook, pretending to get distracted by it, “thought you were asking me.”

“And your birthday?”

“Please wait,” Kyungsoo says, and stands up from the chair.

Baekhyun leans back. “Of course, we can take a break whenever you need one.”

Diana pads into the kitchen and Baekhyun gets easily distracted by her, petting her as he checks her over. Chanyeol watches Kyungsoo as he walks over to the calendar on the wall behind Chanyeol. Hurriedly, although hopefully not suspiciously, Chanyeol closes his notebook, but Kyungsoo only stares intently at the calendar.

It’s November.

“Your birthday is soon,” Kyungsoo says quietly, like he doesn’t want Baekhyun to overhear.

Twisting in his chair, Chanyeol looks at the calendar. The 27th has “CHANYEOL’S BIRTHDAY!!!!!” written in bright red, and little birthday cake stickers stuck around it.

“I guess. At the end of the month. I’ll be eighteen,” Chanyeol watches Kyungsoo’s face, but it stays maddeningly blank and unreadable.

Then Kyungsoo looks around the kitchen, just turning his head this way and that. Chanyeol still has no idea what he’s up to, so he tries to follow Kyungsoo’s gaze, but can’t see anything of interest. When Kyungsoo looks back at the calendar, he starts counting the days, pointing a finger at each square, starting from Chanyeol’s birthday on the 27th. He flips the page into December, still counting, and frowns when he reaches the end and there’s no next page. Carefully he takes the calendar down, flipping back to January, and continues counting.

Weirded out a bit, Chanyeol glances to see if Baekhyun is paying attention, but he’s too busy playing with Diana. He’s definitely playing now, not doing any vet work at all.

“January 12th.”

Kyungsoo hangs the calendar back on the wall, flipping it back to November.

“Uh… your birthday?” Baekhyun asks, hands frozen where they were previously rubbing Diana’s tummy.

“Yes. Like Chanyeol, I will be turning eighteen.”

“Okay…” Baekhyun says, and Chanyeol can tell he’s getting suspicious.

“Oh,” Chanyeol’s mother says suddenly from the other room, “Dr. Zhang’s here!”

“I’ll just tell Yixing what we went over so he doesn’t have to repeat anything,” Baekhyun tells Kyungsoo, smiling kindly.

When Baekhyun’s out of the room, Chanyeol leans to see Kyungsoo’s face. “You okay? Baekhyun can be a bit much, although people have been known to say that about me too, but he’s really really nice.”

Kyungsoo nods. “Sorry. I’m nervous. He was nice I think.”

“Dr. Zhang is nice too, don’t worry,” Chanyeol says softly, not wanting to be overheard. “Plus nobody ever says he’s a bit much.”

Just as Chanyeol finishes, Dr. Zhang steps into the kitchen, and Chanyeol snaps his mouth closed guiltily, even though he was only saying nice things.

“Chanyeol,” Dr. Zhang smiles warmly, “it’s good to see you. And you must be Kyungsoo? Welcome to the island.”

Something about Dr. Zhang’s kind smile always instills a sense of peace and joy in Chanyeol, and even Kyungsoo tries to return his smile with the slightest upturning of his lips. “Thank you.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you privately, is that alright Kyungsoo? Just you and I?”

“That’s okay,” Kyungsoo says, glancing at Chanyeol.

“Can you wait for me in the bathroom then? It has the best lighting.” Dr. Zhang smiles again. “The downstairs one, I think?”

“Okay.”

When Kyungsoo pads out of the kitchen, Dr. Zhang turns to Chanyeol, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder. “Before I look at Kyungsoo, how are you doing Chanyeol?”

“I’m uh, I think I’m doing better actually,” Chanyeol says, avoiding Dr. Zhang’s eyes. He isn’t lying, but talking about his emotions always makes Chanyeol feel weird. He knows Dr. Zhang is talking about the sinking, and Chanyeol’s mental state or whatever. “I just met him, but I like having Kyungsoo around. I hope he can stay… Uh, he doesn’t like touching I think, just by the way. Or he isn’t used to it or something.”

Dr. Zhang nods. “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you for telling me. It’s been good of you and your mother to look after him like this.”

“Yeah, well you know my mum,” Chanyeol says, laughing awkwardly.

“I do,” Dr. Zhang smiles knowingly. “I’ll go see Kyungsoo.”

“Right.”

Chanyeol watches him leave the room, wondering if he should have told Dr. Zhang more about Kyungsoo, or said “good luck” or something. Pursing his lips in thought, Chanyeol moves into the living room, sitting heavily on the sofa. Through the screen door, Chanyeol can see his mother and Baekhyun chatting outside.

Closing his eyes, Chanyeol rests his head against the back of the sofa, notebook carfully closed on his lap. Maybe he dozes for a moment, because he wakes up to the quiet murmur of voices in the other room. Keeping his eyes closed, Chanyeol pretends to be still asleep.

“Do you think he has amnesia? Does he have to go to the hospital?” Chanyeol’s mother whispers urgently to Dr. Zhang. Baekhyun must have already left.

Matching her volume, but trying to sound reassuring, Dr. Zhang shakes his head. “I doubt it. There’s no sign of any head trauma that would cause such a loss of memory. It could be something mentally traumatic that’s causing him to forget, but I’m not sure it’s that either.”

“You think he’s faking?” Chanyeol’s mother sounds offended on Kyungsoo’s behalf. It makes Chanyeol smile a bit, that his mother’s already gotten so attached to Kyungsoo.

“I don’t think he’s doing it with malicious intentions Youngmi,” Dr. Zhang says softly. “He seems very… skittish. Nervous. I could only examine him a little, I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, but his body shows signs of… mistreatment.”

Chanyeol’s mother gasps. “Oh! You think Kyungsoo comes from a bad home?”

“Perhaps. There were signs of past injuries and malnourishment. I don’t want to speculate too much, but he might be lying about his memory because he doesn’t want to be returned to wherever he came from. I…” Dr. Zhang hesitates. “He seems comfortable here, with you and Chanyeol.”

“He can stay here as long as he needs to,” Chanyeol’s mother answers Dr. Zhang’s question before he spoke it. “Chanyeol is getting along with him fine, and now that you’ve told me this… of course he can stay here if it’s what’s best.”

“I think it is best, for now. Thank you, Youngmi.”

Dr. Zhang and Chanyeol’s mother move towards the door, out of Chanyeol’s earshot, but Chanyeol doesn’t try to follow. He really doesn’t like this. Things seemed so much simpler when he thought Kyungsoo was just a mermaid who was bad at being human. Was it childish of him to think that? Especially now that Dr. Zhang has suggested such a soberingly real alternative.

Feeling the sting of tears in his eyes, although not really understanding why, Chanyeol glares down at his notebook, flipping it open. On the third page he’s started a list of weird things Kyungsoo has done that might point to him being a mermaid.

Defiantly, Chanyeol adds a couple more points.

-called a broken soap dish “treasure”  
-acted weird when he fell? like he didn’t know about slipperiness? or falling? or gravity???

Chanyeol refuses to think about any other theories. Kyungsoo is a mermaid in disguise. He comes from the sea and probably has lots of fish adventures with his mermaid friends. And… sinks boats, killing people. Like the one Chanyeol was on.

Chanyeol shakes the thought off. Probably wouldn’t catch Kyungsoo in a seashell bra though. Chanyeol always doubted the logistics of that.

So Kyungsoo stays with them.

Monday morning, Chanyeol’s mother comes downstairs with a stricken expression on her face. Chanyeol’s teaching Kyungsoo to play Go Fish at the kitchen table.

“Morning,” Chanyeol greets his mother when he hears her enter the kitchen, not looking up from his cards.

“Morning,” Kyungsoo echos, distracted from the game. “Is everything okay?”

Chanyeol looks up finally to see his mother’s expression. “Mum?”

“Oh Chanyeol, I completely forgot about school!”

Pursing his lips, Chanyeol hunches his shoulders and looks back at his cards. “I wish I had that luxury.”

“Not for you, for Kyungsoo!”

“School?” Kyungsoo asks.

“It’s terrible,” Chanyeol laments, slumping back in his chair dramatically. “A place where dreams go to die…”

“Oh, Chanyeol,” his mother admonishes, frowning. “We’d have to register Kyungsoo and the school year has already started, he’ll be behind… What grade are you in Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo blinks up at Chanyeol’s mother, wide-eyed. “I… don’t remember.”

“Did you go to school?” Chanyeol examines Kyungsoo’s confused face over his cards. Suspicious.

“...probably.”

With a concerned look on her face, Chanyeol’s mother sits down at the third chair between them. “You don’t remember? Oh, Kyungsoo…”

Gently, carefully, she reaches out and brushes the stray hairs away from his forehead. Chanyeol watches intently, seeing Kyungsoo flinch minutely before his mother’s hand touches him. When her fingers smooth his hair back, Kyungsoo’s eyes seem to glaze over, staring away at nothing, like he’s focused on nothing but the touch.

“Then for now you can come with me to the diner,” Chanyeol’s mother says, smiling kindly at Kyungsoo.

Her sweet smile always makes Chanyeol feel better, and it seems to have the same effect on Kyungsoo, who looks up finally to offer a tiny upturn of his lips in response.

“Oh, what,” Chanyeol groans, even though it’s for show. He doesn’t want Kyungsoo at his nasty school. “How come I have to go then?”

“Because you’re almost finished,” Chanyeol’s mother says, getting up to start the morning routine. “Shape up, or you’ll be late!”

A week goes by, and school is the same. People still give Chanyeol funny looks, but they talk about him a little less. Sometimes their curiousity gets the better of them and they come up and ask about the funny boy who washed up on the beach. Not from this island. Chanyeol wonders how word got out. Probably Baekhyun. Or maybe Chanyeol’s mother has been telling anyone who asks at the diner. She says Kyungsoo is a very efficient and hardworking dishwasher, and Kyungsoo looks bashful but pleased by her praise.

Chanyeol’s a little nervous for the weekend. Since he’s off school, his mother suggests Kyungsoo have the weekend off from coming in to the diner, and Chanyeol can “hang out” with him. Which seems great in theory, Kyungsoo’s cute, and being a little less weird lately, and Chanyeol does still need to confirm once and for all whether he’s a mermaid or not. But they haven’t spent that much time together yet. What if spending a whole day together is awkward? Chanyeol can’t stand awkwardness.

So he takes Kyungsoo to the one place quietness is expected, required even. The library. It’s a great idea beyond that, since so far Kyungsoo seems quite taken with books. He’s not a very fast reader, but he obviously likes learning new things. Chanyeol’s taken to reading aloud to Kyungsoo before they go to bed, so they might as well get some books out of the library too. Kyungsoo has liked every book so far.

After breakfast on Saturday, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol wave goodbye to Chanyeol’s mother as she drives away to the diner, and Chanyeol mounts his bicycle easily. Kyungsoo stands off to the side, clearly wary of the bicycle.

“Hop on then,” Chanyeol says, patting the rack on the back of his bicycle.

Kyungsoo frowns, eyeing the bicycle like it might attack him. “I don’t want to sit like that.”

“Well you don’t know how to ride a bike so you can’t drive. Also we’d have to adjust the seat since you’re so short. You can sit side-saddle back there if you want, it might be more comfortable.”

“Side-saddle?”

“Y’know like,” Chanyeol gestures vaguely before sighing and waving Kyungsoo closer. “Oh, just c’mere, it’s not gonna bite you!

Kyungsoo takes a step closer.

“Sit on the rack here,” Chanyeol pats it again, “like you sit on a chair. Not like how I’m sitting.”

Doing as he’s told, Kyungsoo perches daintily at the edge of the rack.

“No, sit right up on it.”

With another frown, Kyungsoo wiggles back until his feet no longer touch the ground beside the bicycle. He wobbles a bit, holding the rack tightly with his hands.

“Okay good,” Chanyeol says, turning back to face forwards on his bicycle, “now hold onto me or you’ll fall off.”

For a moment, nothing happens, and Chanyeol resists turning around. Kyungsoo’s clearly weird about touching, if his reactions to Dr. Zhang and Baekhyun are anything to go by. Then Chanyeol feels a tentative palm press gently against his back, where his ribcage ends, beside the spine. He sighs, peering over his shoulder. Kyungsoo’s staring intensely at his hand where it rests on Chanyeol.

“You wanna fall off?”

“No.”

“Then hold on properly. You know how bikes work, right? We’re going to be moving, and you’re more unstable sitting like that.”

“I _know_ how bicycles work, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo says scornfully, frowning.

“Well then. Arms around my waist.”

Slowly, agonizingly, Kyungsoo’s hand creeps around Chanyeol’s waist to grab the fabric of his hoodie by his stomach. Chanyeol keeps still, like Kyungsoo’s a wild animal that might startle, even though he wants to squirm at the weird way Kyungsoo’s hand trails around him. Through the thick fabric of his hoodie, the touch is fleeting, but leaves a ticklish sensation in its wake.

“Uh,” Chanyeol suddenly realizes they’ve just been sitting like that for a while, his voice awkwardly loud after the heavy silence, “both hands.”

Thankfully Kyungsoo’s other hand appears beside the first without any unnecessary touching, and he clasps them together in the front of Chanyeol’s hoodie. Before Chanyeol can breathe a sigh of relief, he feels a weight between his shoulder blades as Kyungsoo lays his head there. Every breath Chanyeol takes reminds him of Kyungsoo’s closeness.

The bicycle ride to the library is then fraught with tension, at least for Chanyeol. Suffice to say he almost bicycles right into a tree. There aren’t that many trees on the island, so it’s really quite a feat.

The library itself however, was a great idea. Tension gone once they’ve carefully dismounted the bicycle, Chanyeol gives Kyungsoo the grand tour of the island’s tiny library. Kyungsoo is amazed by the most mundane of things, and before Chanyeol knows it, they’ve spent the entire day tucked up in a corner between the shelves, taking turns reading to each other.

Chanyeol would pat himself on the back for such an excellent idea, but the weight of Kyungsoo’s head between his shoulder blades as they bicycle home is reward enough.

After another week, Chanyeol’s mother seems to make the decision that Kyungsoo staying with them might be for the long haul. Kyungsoo’s already been bought some clothes and a pair of shoes. She broaches the subject with them one dinner.

“If you’re staying with us for much longer—which is absolutely fine, I’m happy to have you for however long Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol’s mother interrupts herself when Kyungsoo begins to look nervous, “I can try to tidy up one of the spare rooms so you can have your own bedroom.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo says, eyes drifting hesitantly across the tiled kitchen floor, “but I… I like staying in Chanyeol’s bedroom. If it doesn’t disturb him…”

“Yeah, I’m fine with that.” Chanyeol shrugs. Kyungsoo sleeping on his floor has been a little unnerving, just because he’s such a weird kid, but he doesn’t particularly like the idea of him sleeping elsewhere either.

Chanyeol’s mother looks confused. “On the _floor_? You’re fine with that Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo nods.

“Well alright…”

The rest of dinner Chanyeol’s mother looks quite confused, but Chanyeol doesn’t see the problem. He’d wants Kyungsoo to stay in his room, and Kyungsoo said he was fine with the floor, so. No problem.

The arrangement doesn’t last very long anyway. A few nights later Chanyeol’s reading aloud to Kyungsoo before bed when there’s a flash of lightning at the window. Mildly surprised, Chanyeol looks with eyebrows raised towards the window, waiting for the thunder. Kyungsoo, previously lying peacefully on the floor listening, jolts up with a panicked look on his face.

“Don’t worry,” Chanyeol says, turning back to look down at Kyungsoo from his bed. He pauses as the thunder finally follows up the lightning, eyebrows furrowing as Kyungsoo hunches his shoulders, pressing himself into the edge of the bed like he’s scared. “It’s only a storm.”

Kyungsoo nods, but his face is mostly pressed into the side of the mattress now, hands holding the fitted sheet tightly.

“Are you scared of it?” Chanyeol waits for an answer but Kyungsoo doesn’t move. “Geez… Well, come sit up with me then.”

Not lifting his face, Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Stay low during a storm,” he recites, muffled slightly.

Chanyeol smiles, trying not to laugh. He doesn’t want to be mean, Kyungsoo’s scared, but he’s cute. “We’re in a house Kyungsoo. We won’t be struck by lightning. Come sit with me.”

Slowly, Kyungsoo raises his head, revealing his face, a little red from being pushed against the side of Chanyeol’s bed. He looks hesitant, but he begins to stand, moving towards sitting on the bed. There’s another flash of lightning at the window, and suddenly Kyungsoo’s reservations are gone, and he dives under Chanyeol’s duvet with a yelp.

This time Chanyeol can’t help but laugh a little, reaching over with one hand to lift the duvet. He shuffles closer to the Kyungsoo-shaped lump, until he’s sitting close enough that Kyungsoo can lean up against him if he wants to. When the thunder comes, deep and distant, Chanyeol feels the bump of Kyungsoo’s head against his thigh. It makes a certain sense of pride swell in Chanyeol’s chest, like he’s tamed some kind of wild animal.

“We can stop reading for tonight,” Chanyeol says softly, delicately putting his hand on top of the duvet where Kyungsoo is hiding. “What’s so scary about the storm? Too loud?”

Kyungsoo mumbles something, lost in the duvet.

“Oh hang on,” Chanyeol grumbles, dropping the book onto his nightstand and switching the lamp off. Then he lifts the duvet and wiggles in beside Kyungsoo. “Knock knock, I’m coming in.”

For a moment they just look at each other in the dark, under the bedsheets. Chanyeol’s eyes adjust. Awkwardly, he folds his hands in the space between them, not sure what else to do with them. He had planned to say more, but it suddenly feels like a moment for silence. After what seems like a ridiculously long time, Chanyeol feels the brush of one of Kyungsoo’s hands against his. Tentative as ever, Kyungsoo slots his hand in between Chanyeol’s, eyes fixed there, like he’s embarrassed to look anywhere else, or meet Chanyeol’s gaze.

“Too big,” Kyungsoo finally says quietly, still looking at their hands.

Chanyeol frowns, offended. “My hands?”

“The storm. Like the sea. Too big. Unfathomable,” Kyungsoo says, like it’s the first time he’s tried saying the word.

“Oh.” Pausing, Chanyeol watches Kyungsoo’s face. Carefully, he tightens his hold ever so slightly on Kyungsoo’s hand. “That’s no reason to be scared of it. That’s no way to live, then you’d be scared of so much. _I’m_ bigger than you. Lots of things are bigger than you. You’re pretty small, y’know.”

Kyungsoo frowns, and Chanyeol meets it with a cheeky grin. Quickly Kyungsoo’s face matches his, smiling ever so slightly.

“It reminds me of bad memories,” Kyungsoo says after a moment, face sobering again.

Through the duvet, neither of them see the flash of lightning, and the rumble of thunder takes them by surprise. It’s closer, probably just overhead, and it shakes the house. With a jerk, Kyungsoo presses himself closer to Chanyeol. Instinctively, Chanyeol parts his hands, allowing Kyungsoo to get right up to him, grabbing Chanyeol’s shirt nervously. Like some kind of loser, Chanyeol just lets his free hand hover above Kyungsoo under the duvet, not knowing exactly where to put it. Nevertheless, his heart swells at Kyungsoo’s thoughtless act of trust.

“I don’t want to go back,” Kyungsoo says, muffled this time by Chanyeol’s shirt. He sounds distressed again, like he’s worried the storm is here to take him away.

Chanyeol smiles gently, even though Kyungsoo can’t see it, and finally lets his hand drift down onto Kyungsoo’s waist, and then behind his back to pull him closer. “Well I don’t really understand what you mean, but for now you don’t have to go anywhere but here. I’ll protect you.”

Such a cheesy line makes Chanyeol wince, but Kyungsoo seems reassured by it. He doesn’t speak again, and eventually Chanyeol realizes Kyungsoo’s fallen asleep, even as thunder continues to rumble in the distance.

Kyungsoo never sleeps on the floor again after that.

And as the seasons change, the island gets used to having Kyungsoo on it.

If Kyungsoo really is a mermaid, he must be getting tired of staying on land for so long, Chanyeol thinks. As the island and the people on it get used to Kyungsoo, he gets used to them. Less and less does he act like an outsider, and it makes Chanyeol think maybe he really did dream up the whole Kyungsoo is secretly a mermaid thing. Either all this practice he’s getting is improving Kyungsoo’s human impression, or he really has been a human from the beginning.

It would be exciting for Kyungsoo to have been a mermaid in disguise this whole time, but then he would have to return to the sea one day. If he is just a human, maybe he can stay with Chanyeol forever. Chanyeol really likes that idea. So he tucks his notes on Kyungsoo away.

The first few snowfalls of winter are light dustings, nothing to sneeze at, and Kyungsoo enjoys them with a soft smile but doesn’t seem to be surprised or unused to it. Chanyeol has to resist the urge to find his notebook again and note that Kyungsoo does know about snow.

What does impress Kyungsoo is the first heavy snowfall. Chanyeol’s pretty stoked about it too, because it just so happens to be on his birthday, and snow this bad means he doesn’t have to go to school.

Seeing the heavy layer of snow on the outside windowsill of his window when he wakes up, Chanyeol tosses the covers off in his hurry to see out, jostling Kyungsoo awake. Groggily, Kyungsoo rubs his eyes and sits up to join Chanyeol in looking out the window in awe. It’s still snowing, thick white flakes drifting peacefully through the air, and nearly 15 centimetres on the ground already.

Chanyeol grins down at Kyungsoo, who looks almost concerned about the amount of snow. “They have snow where you come from?”

“Not this much…”

“Let’s go then!”

Without bothering to get dressed, Chanyeol just grabs a sweater and socks before he slides out into the hall and bounds down the stairs in his pyjamas. Sloppily he pulls on his outerwear, jamming his feet into his boots at the same time as he wiggles his way into his sweater and coat.

“Morning Chanyeol,” his mother says, coming into the kitchen in her dressing gown and slippers. “Happy birthday.”

“Morning! I’m going outside,” Chanyeol blurts out, trying to put his hat and scarf on simultaneously.

Then he turns to the door, and a problem arises.

His mother smirks a little. “Good luck getting out the door,” she says. “Looks like you have to shovel first.”

The main door swings in, no problem, but the screen door swings out, and has snow packed against it, stopping it from opening. Chanyeol returns his mother’s smirk with a smug grin of his own. “I’ll just go out the front door then!”

Protected by the porch, no snow stops Chanyeol from opening the door. There’s something magical about snow, Chanyeol thinks. It makes his heart feel light and carefree, and not just because he doesn’t have to go to school.

Chanyeol’s already covered in snow, having made two snow angels and a pisspoor snowman, by the time Kyungsoo emerges, decked to the nines.

Earlier in the season Chanyeol’s mother found his sister’s old winter jacket, which fit Kyungsoo nicely. By now Kyungsoo already has a good number of his own clothes, and his own pair of snow boots as well as the running shoes. (And plenty of pairs of his own underpants!) Somehow, he always ends up wearing something of Chanyeol’s. (Not underpants though. Chanyeol has made it explicitly clear that underpants are not for sharing.)

Kyungsoo’s been wrapped up tightly, coat zipped up all the way, properly dressed under it, hat and scarf snugly covering his head. Clearly Chanyeol’s mother’s doing. Chanyeol can only see Kyungsoo’s eyes in between the hat over his forehead and the scarf over his mouth and nose, but even then he can tell Kyungsoo is excited.

“Come play,” Chanyeol says with a grin.

Practically waddling over—looks like Chanyeol’s mother convinced him to put two pairs of pants on—Kyungsoo stares down at Chanyeol. “I didn’t know snow got like this,” he says, muffled by the scarf.

“Wanna make a snowman or a snow angel?”

“Both,” Kyungsoo answers immediately.

It’s an hour later when Chanyeol’s mother calls them in. The front yard had gotten so littered with snow angels (Kyungsoo’s favourite snow activity, he decided) they had to go round back. Chanyeol shovels the back door free of snow, and they make a snowman with the snow. It’s not the greatest, but sculpting has never been Chanyeol’s forte. He even tries to start a snowball fight, tossing a carefully made snowball at Kyungsoo while he was busy tying his scarf around the snowman, but Kyungsoo had just looked confused, and a little hurt. So Chanyeol just apologized and said he was aiming for the snowman.

Coming inside, they’re caked with snow, soaked through and shivering, even Kyungsoo with his many layers. Chanyeol’s mother frowns at the state of them.

“Go get changed then. Leave your outdoor clothes here, I’ll hang them up to dry,” she orders, waving her finger at the radiator by the backdoor.

“Thanks Mum,” Chanyeol says once he’s shucked his outerwear, and his wet socks, walking by and kissing her on the cheek.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo echoes, following Chanyeol upstairs.

Kyungsoo frowns when they get to Chanyeol’s room, still shivering. “I’m cold.”

“Here,” Chanyeol passes him a change of clothes. They’re technically Chanyeol’s pyjamas, but what of it? Kyungsoo said he was cold, and these are Chanyeol’s warmest pyjamas. “You’ll feel better in dry clothes.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo says, and pulls his shirt off.

Sighing, Chanyeol tries to rummage for his clothes so he can beat a hasty retreat. As weird as Kyungsoo can be about touching and many other things, he has absolutely no problem getting naked, or being naked, and it’s kind of a big concern for Chanyeol. Usually he’s fast enough to get out of the room before this.

Without really meaning to, turning to leave Chanyeol glances at Kyungsoo and realizes he’s never seen his bare back before. Because all up his spine is some sort of tattoo. It’s just circles, each one about the size of a bottle cap, starting just below the bump of bone where Kyungsoo’s neck meets his shoulders. The circles trail down his spine from there, six in total, ending just above the waist of his pants. The lines are thick, and the ink is greenish black and it seeps into the cracks of Kyungsoo’s skin, like they’re very old, or very worn. Or maybe just not professionally done. Chanyeol’s hardly some kind of tattoo expert.

“What’s that,” Chanyeol mumbles without thinking. He quickly clarifies, “How come your mum lets you have a tattoo? Mine would do her nut if I even asked her about getting a tattoo. Although you’ve got all those piercings too.”

Kyungsoo stands up straight slowly, pausing in his undressing, like it makes him uncomfortable to talk about it, but makes no move to cover the tattoos.

“I don’t have a mother,” he says.

“Oh, uh,” Chanyeol flounders, unsure of why he even said that in the first place, “sorry. I just… Well what does it mean?”

Slowly, Kyungsoo turns to regard him. Probably thinking about whether to trust Chanyeol with some deep meaningful stuff that has great impact on his life.

“I just liked it,” he finally says, turning away from Chanyeol again and pulling his shirt on. After an extended period of silence, in which Chanyeol valiantly stops himself from asking to see the tattoos again, Kyungsoo speaks up, still facing away. “You want...tattoos? What would you get?”

“Oh man,” Chanyeol grins, back in safe conversation territory, “I have so many ideas. I want any tattoos I get to be perfect, you know? I have a whole sketchbook of ideas! Of course I have to broach the subject delicately with Mum. Anyway. I’m gonna go change, you finish up in here, yeah?”

“Okay.” Kyungsoo watches Chanyeol go, calling out just as he reaches the door to the hall. “Chanyeol? Happy birthday.”

Chanyeol grins brightly. “Thanks!”

After breakfast, Chanyeol’s mother deems them Not Warm Enough, and with Chanyeol’s help, they light the fireplace. For a nice, peaceful, non-weird half hour, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo sit in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a big quilt. Chanyeol reads to Kyungsoo. It’s when his voice gets hoarse and they take a break that Kyungsoo starts being suspiciously non-human.

Slowly, Kyungsoo stretches his hands out towards the fire. The closer his fingers get to the fire, Chanyeol leans slightly closer to Kyungsoo, finally reaching out and grabbing Kyungsoo’s wrists when he gets a bit too close to the fire.

“Cut that out,” Chanyeol barks, put off by Kyungsoo being weird _again_.

“I like it,” Kyungsoo says, like he’s offended Chanyeol stopped him from roasting his hands off.

Still holding Kyungsoo’s hands, in case he gets any funny ideas, Chanyeol shakes his head in amazement. What a weird fucking kid.

“See the logs?” Chanyeol gestures with a free pinkie to the firewood crackling in the fire. “That’s what fire does to things. What it’ll do to your _hands_ if you put them too close.”

Frowning at the fire, Kyungsoo draws his hand back towards his chest sharply. Since Chanyeol’s still holding them, they end up huddled together. “That’s not very nice.”

“That’s why you don’t put your hands in it.” Chanyeol speaks quietly, now that Kyungsoo’s so much closer. “You put like, marshmallows and weenies in it. And then eat the marshmallows and weenies.”

“How do you get them out of the fire once you’ve put them in?” Kyungsoo asks Chanyeol with a raised eyebrow, like he’s outsmarted Chanyeol’s silly ideas about putting marshmallows in the fire.

Kyungsoo’s face is very close to Chanyeol’s, looking up at him with those wide eyes, and it strikes Chanyeol suddenly that this is a romantic atmosphere. Tucked under a quilt together, in front of a cozy fire, hands clasped together between their chests. A kiss is only a tilt of the head away. Apparently oblivious of Chanyeol’s thoughts, Kyungsoo’s gaze doesn’t waver where he meets his eyes, and Chanyeol’s lips tingle with the urge to lean forward and kiss him.

So Chanyeol does the only logical thing and tosses his half of the quilt over Kyungsoo’s head, effectively burying him and hiding the temptation, before scrambling to his feet and hurrying into the kitchen. Desperately trying not to think about what almost just happened, Chanyeol bangs about a bit, opening and shutting cupboards noisily as he looks for marshmallows and maybe some graham crackers and chocolate.

S’mores are a big hit with Kyungsoo, so much so that Chanyeol has to cut him off before he makes himself sick. They have birthday cake later, and Kyungsoo loves that too. Chanyeol talks for half an hour on the telephone with his sister, and even a few minutes with his father. He doesn’t tell his father about Kyungsoo at all, but he tells his sister many many things about Kyungsoo. Not the mermaid thing though. She doesn’t _believe_.

In January, Chanyeol’s new years resolution is to figure out once and for all if Kyungsoo is a mermaid. Yes, he put aside his investigation last year, but the winter has highlighted some more evidence that points towards Kyungsoo being a mermaid. Not knowing what fire is? _Babies_ know that fire is dangerous, or at least Chanyeol hopes they do. So he finds his notebook again, and updates the list, and expands on the information. He catalogues Kyungsoo’s piercings, at least to the best of his abilities. Doodles some pictures of Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo with a fish tail, and sketches out Kyungsoo’s tattoo, as best he can remember.

“I just have to know for certain Diana.”

Diana huffs and wags her tail, Chanyeol assumes in agreement.

“You know? I always gave Prince Eric a hard time for not knowing Ariel was Ariel, and now here I am! But he had some pretty recognizable hair to… well. Recognize her. Me? I just remember the eyes. Sure he has brown eyes but lots of people have brown eyes. _I_ have brown eyes. Prince Eric had it easy.”

Rather than answer, Diana tries to wedge her head under Chanyeol’s hand, a clear demand to be petted. Absentmindedly, Chanyeol follows her prompt.

“Maybe we should watch the movie. See if he reacts funny.”

Surprisingly, for the sheer number of books Chanyeol has read Kyungsoo, they haven’t watched a movie together yet. So for Kyungsoo’s birthday, Chanyeol suggests they have a movie party.

The old box television is always sitting in the living room, but Chanyeol has to rummage in the attic to find the old VCR and the small box of movies. It takes a while to set everything up, connect the VCR to the television, get the snacks ready. Then the VCR remote needs new batteries.

Finally Kyungsoo and Chanyeol are sitting on the floor in front of the television, a quilt wrapped around them both, stocked with a bowl of popcorn and drinks. The Little Mermaid (1989) VHS is in the machine. Kyungsoo is practically bouncing with excitement.

All in all, the movie doesn’t help Chanyeol’s investigation. He mostly forgets he’s meant to be paying attention to things, just enjoying the movie and his time with Kyungsoo. Even though Kyungsoo is clearly enjoying himself, he is critical of the movie in parts, muttering unimpressed comments every so often.

“Mermaids live in a city in this movie?”

“She doesn’t know what a _fork_ is? That bird is so stupid! Why does she listen to him?”

“How does she have all those books underwater? They would be ruined!”

“Did you like it?” Chanyeol asks him when the movie is finished, waiting as the VCR rewinds the VHS tape.

“Movies are cool,” Kyungsoo says, looking up at Chanyeol. “Are they all like this one?”

“Nah, there are lots of different movies, like books! You didn’t like this?” Chanyeol pouts. “It’s one of my favourites.”

Kyungsoo is silent for a moment, thinking. Before he can answer, Chanyeol’s mother returns to the room with Kyungsoo’s birthday cake. She reused the 18 candle from Chanyeol’s birthday cake. Chanyeol joins her in singing happy birthday, and then Kyungsoo blows his candle out, eyes closed like he’s wishing for something, just like Chanyeol had. Chanyeol wonders if Kyungsoo knew to do it, or if he’s just imitating what Chanyeol did.

They eat cake, and it’s not until Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are lying in bed that Kyungsoo answers his question.

“I don’t understand why she wanted to go on land,” Kyungsoo says, looking up at the ceiling in the dark. “Ariel. The way her society was in the movie… it was already so similar to humans. She had a family who cared about her, and a home.”

“You don’t think mermaids have those things?” Chanyeol asks quietly.

“No,” Kyungsoo says firmly. “And she hurt her family. If they hadn’t defeated the sea witch, her old home could have been destroyed, and it would have been her fault. She acted selfishly.”

“But they did defeat Ursula. Ariel just wanted to be...part of that world…”

“I did like that song,” Kyungsoo says, and Chanyeol turns to see him smiling in the darkness. “She has a beautiful voice. And it was admirable that she saved the human prince.”

“Like me.”

Kyungsoo is quiet for a moment. “You mean when you found me on the beach?”

“No, I mean a mermaid saved me from drowning too.”

Another pause. “Right. I still think she acted selfishly though. You have a home, and a family. Would you risk their safety to become a mermaid?”

“I guess not,” Chanyeol sighs. “Would you?”

“I don’t have those things.”

Turning his head to look at Kyungsoo again, Chanyeol frowns. Slowly, he snakes his hand through the sheets until he finds Kyungsoo’s, and carefully intertwines their fingers.

“You do now, right?”

Kyungsoo rolls over onto his side, holding onto Chanyeol’s arm with his other hand, pressing his forehead into Chanyeol’s shoulder. “Then no. I wouldn’t risk it. Not for anything,” he says, voice unsteady.

They watch a lot more movies as the months go on, Kyungsoo liking them just as well as books. Maybe more. When they’ve exhausted Chanyeol’s small collection of VHS tapes, and when the weather gets better, they go to the library on the weekend and borrow DVDs, watching them on the library computer. Kyungsoo likes most movies they watch, even when he’s critical of them, but his favourites are the ones with singing.

During the week Chanyeol goes to school and Kyungsoo goes with Chanyeol’s mother to the diner. Proving himself as such a diligent dishwasher, Chanyeol’s mother has taken to teaching Kyungsoo to make a few of the diner’s signature dishes, which of course he excels at too. Like with books and movies, Kyungsoo is amazed by the sheer variety of dishes that exist, and Chanyeol’s mother in turn is inspired to try new recipes with him.

It’s March when Chanyeol and Kyungsoo begin a new weekend tradition.

Baekhyun’s over again, pretending to check up on Diana, when he’s really just come to pet her. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo come home from the library to find him chatting with Chanyeol’s mother in the kitchen, rubbing Diana’s ears. (Diana can’t come to the library.)

“Hey you two,” Baekhyun greets them, grinning. “I’ve been looking for you!”

“Really? You’re not just here to see Diana?” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow as he sheds his coat and shoes.

“Nope! Dr. Kim is looking for a couple of helpful and responsible teens to help him out on the weekends, and I hear you two have been doing nothing on weekends but loafing off in the library.”

“We’re watching movies,” Kyungsoo says, offended, “not loafing off.”

“Well you should pay Dr. Kim a visit anyway! It might do you both some good.” Baekhyun’s smile softens, and he looks almost fondly at them. “He’s usually at Junmyeon’s place.”

Frowning at the mention of Junmyeon, Chanyeol crosses his arms. “We’ll consider it.”

Baekhyun snorts. “What a pair… Junmyeon lives up in the lighthouse Kyungsoo, wouldn’t you like to see that?”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo says, eyes lighting up with interest, “I would like to see it…”

Shooting Chanyeol a smug smile, Baekhyun stands. “Well, there you go.”

So it’s with a heavy heart, knowing Baekhyun bested him, that Chanyeol bicycles Kyungsoo over to the lighthouse on Saturday. He just hopes Junmyeon’s there, not his father, Chanyeol’s maths teacher who he hates.

Chanyeol knocks on the door of the lighthouse itself, the teal paint faded and peeling off the wooden boards. Kyungsoo imitates him, a little quieter. To Chanyeol’s relief, it isn’t his maths teacher who opens the door but Junmyeon in his civvies, looking highly confused to see them.

“Oh! Chanyeol! And, your friend…?” Junmyeon says, like he thought Chanyeol didn’t have any friends.

“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol supplies. How does Junmyeon not know this. “He wanted to see the lighthouse. Also we’re looking for Dr. Kim.”

“I see. Well, Minseok is here.” Junmyeon stands awkwardly in the doorway before stepping aside with an inhale. “Come on in then.”

Sitting at a dining table in the middle of the round building is Minseok, reading a paper and eating toast. He looks up with wide eyes when Junmyeon shows Chanyeol and Kyungsoo in. For an oddly breath-stopping moment, he locks eyes with Kyungsoo, gaze sharp and  intense, but then he smiles at them both, making him look much younger and more approachable.

“Oh, hello!”

“You’re Dr. Kim, right?” Chanyeol asks.

Minseok grimaces. “Please, call me Minseok. There are enough Kims on this island, it gets confusing. Although I am the only one with a doctorate.”

“Minseok. Nice to meet you,” Kyungsoo pipes up from where he stands, partially behind Chanyeol.

“I’m Chanyeol, and this is Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol introduces them. “Baekhyun said you were looking for some kind of help?”

“Ah, you must be the responsible trustworthy youth he spoke of,” Minseok says like he’s reciting something, smiling as if it’s a funny joke. “Would you like to sit? Junmyeon, stop hovering.”

“I’d like to see the light,” Kyungsoo speaks up again.

Minseok smiles wider, obviously amused. “Junmyeon, why don’t you show Kyungsoo around, and I’ll tell Chanyeol about the job.”

“Right. Let’s go upstairs then?” Junmyeon turns to Kyungsoo with a polite smile, ushering him up the stairs. Kyungsoo waves to Chanyeol as he goes, looking excited.

Chanyeol sits down across from Minseok.

“So. I need some more hands for the boat. Junmyeon isn’t exactly a sea dog. We won’t be going out that far, what I’m studying is in primarily shallow water.” Minseok pauses. “I’m a marine biologist, you knew that, right? Sorry, getting ahead of myself.”

“Out on the water?” Chanyeol wrings his hands under the table without meaning to. “Uh, I don’t know, Kyungsoo isn’t really that fond of the water.”

It’s an excuse of course. Kyungsoo doesn’t like the water, but neither does Chanyeol. The beach is fine, although even that is something Kyungsoo’s not fond of, but being out on the water, tossed around in a boat… It makes Chanyeol’s stomach turn.

Minseok smiles gently. “Don’t worry, Chanyeol. I’ve gone out many times in my boat. It’s protected.”

The look Minseok gives Chanyeol conveys meaning Chanyeol can’t quite grasp, but it makes him trust that Minseok knows what he’s talking about. As they talk more, the idea seems better and better. So Chanyeol agrees to a test run, Minseok’s suggestion. They’ll go out once on the boat, and if either Kyungsoo or Chanyeol doesn’t want to go again, they can say so, and that’ll be that. And when Kyungsoo and Junmyeon finally return from their tour, Kyungsoo agrees. He looks wildly reluctant, but Chanyeol has caught onto the adult’s game. They think this will help them get better, get used to the sea again. Even though he’s hesitant himself, Chanyeol would like to be less scared, and he wants that for Kyungsoo too.

And the first time out on the water is good. Great even. Nothing goes wrong, no storm, not even an inconveniently big wave. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol just stay on the boat, and Chanyeol teaches Kyungsoo a few things that he knows about boats. Kyungsoo seems very happy to stay on the boat.

There is one weird thing though. At some point Junmyeon is off at the front of the boat showing Kyungsoo different types of knots, and Chanyeol’s holding Minseok’s diving equipment while he gets into his wetsuit. Then Minseok turns around.

“Hey!” Chanyeol blurts out when he sees Minseok’s back. He’s got an intricate geometric tattoo spanning his shoulders and down his spine, but what catches Chanyeol’s eye is an eerily familiar element. The ink looks just like it had on Kyungsoo’s back, greenish black and worn, and at the centre, down Minseok’s spine, runs a line of circles. Like Kyungsoo’s they’re the size of bottle caps, but Minseok’s are all black, filled in with ink, and there are ten of them.

Minseok turns back with a brow raised and a curious grin. “What’s up?”

“Uh, I, uh like your tattoos,” Chanyeol settles on saying, glancing shiftily at Kyungsoo where he stands elsewhere on the boat. He wouldn’t be able to overhear. “Kyungsoo has something similar. The circles.”

The grin slips off Minseok’s face, into a more sombre interest, and he slowly looks at Kyungsoo, the wind ruffling his hair gently. “I see. Hollow, or inked in?”

“Hollow,” Chanyeol answers immediately, suddenly aware of a weird importance he doesn’t understand. Kyungsoo had said he just liked the way the tattoo looked, but to be fair, Chanyeol hadn’t really bought that then. He certainly doesn’t now, after seeing such a similar design in the same jagged ink on Minseok’s back. “And there were only six of them.”

“Good,” Minseok says, smiling softly at Kyungsoo’s oblivious back.

“But,” stepping closer, Chanyeol lowers his voice, “what do they mean? Are you from the same place? He doesn’t remember. Maybe you can help him get home?”

“We’re from the same place,” Minseok acknowledges, turning his back on Chanyeol and continuing to change into his wetsuit, “but I can’t help him get home.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol says, and the conversation is over.

That night when Kyungsoo is helping Chanyeol’s mother in the kitchen, Chanyeol steals away to write on a new page in his Kyungsoo Notebook “IS MINSEOK A MERMAID TOO??”

Unfortunately Minseok is much more human passing than Kyungsoo, so the page remains mostly blank. Almost every weekend Kyungsoo and Chanyeol go out on the water with Minseok and Junmyeon. There’s something peaceful and reassuring about being out on the water like this. Every time they return to the island safe, Chanyeol feels a little better. Kyungsoo still looks nervous to be out but Chanyeol hopes he’s improving too, even if it’s taking a little longer. And it’s nice to be helping Minseok study creatures, his enthusiasm for learning is contagious.

They’re such seasoned sea adventurers that one day Minseok leaves them on a sandbank. It sounds bad like that, but it was Chanyeol’s fault, really. He insisted. The tide was down, and Minseok has another spot to check out, but Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are having such fun puttering away with the seashells on the sandbank. So Minseok and Junmyeon steer the boat away, promising to be back soon, marking the spot on their GPS.

It’s a beautiful day, and Kyungsoo is grinning so brightly despite being surrounded by the sea, and Chanyeol’s heart feels light and airy.

Staying on the sandbank had seemed a trivial choice, but Chanyeol quickly regrets it when the tide begins to rise. But he stays calm for Kyungsoo, and he trusts Minseok. They’ll be back in time.

“The next sandbank is bigger,” Chanyeol speaks up, and Kyungsoo looks up from where he’s drawing in the sand. “Maybe we should go there.”

Distracted from his drawings, Kyungsoo’s eyes widen, and he bolts upright, whipping his head around. “The tide! They aren’t back yet?”

Chanyeol shrugs, wading out into the water a bit, in the direction of the other sandbank. Definitely a better option. Carefully he scans the horizon for any sign of the boat, but sees nothing. There’s a sinking feeling in his stomach that their carefree fun so quickly turned into tense panic. A few seconds ago everything had seemed fine.

“We’ll have to swim out,” Chanyeol says finally, turning to Kyungsoo back on the dry sand. “Come on.”

“I can’t,” Kyungsoo’s voice is panicked, the same fear reflected on his face, “I can’t swim. I’m afraid!”

Wading back towards the beach, Chanyeol smiles gently, extending a hand towards Kyungsoo. “I’ll be here. We’re only going over to the next sandbank. It’s still shallow, we can probably walk there, nothing to be scared of.”

“I _can’t_ ,” Kyungsoo repeats. His voice is even more desperate, and tears are building up in his eyes. “I don’t want to go…”

Chanyeol nods, taking Kyungsoo’s hands from where they’re clenched against his stomach and holding them in his own. “It’s okay. We’ll just wait here then. I’m sure Minseok will be able to figure out how to find us.”

“No! You have to go!”

“I’m not gonna leave you here? The tide’s rising Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol says, squeezing Kyungsoo’s hands.

“Go! You could die if you stay here!” Kyungsoo glares at Chanyeol, wrenching his hands back and shoving Chanyeol towards the water. Tears have begun to drip down his cheeks.

“So could you!” They’re shouting now, and Chanyeol isn’t sure why.

Kyungsoo falls silent then, and it seems sudden, a sombre silence where Chanyeol was expecting him to argue again. The gentle breeze picks up, ruffling their hair and clothes, and they both hunch their shoulders instinctively against the gust of stronger wind. Keeping his penetrating gaze on the sand, Kyungsoo won’t meet Chanyeol’s eyes. His face is no longer anguished and confused, but solemn, resigned.

When Kyungsoo looks up, Chanyeol expects a confession of some kind, but all Kyungsoo does is look back down as he begins to take his shorts off.

“What’re you doing,” Chanyeol mumbles, lips sticking together, taken off guard.

But Kyungsoo doesn’t answer, stripping down to nothing but the t-shirt he’s wearing, overlarge, black, and baggy, one of Chanyeol’s. Chanyeol jumpily averts his gaze when the underwear comes off, eyes flitting around nervously, although the shirt is long enough that it covers anything he’d be concerned about seeing.

“Please don’t be mad,” Kyungsoo says quietly, almost a whisper.

Then he walks past Chanyeol, into the water. Chanyeol turns to watch him go, but doesn’t follow. Somehow it seems like that’s what he’s supposed to do. Kyungsoo is showing him something, and he must wait on the beach.

As soon as the sea reaches Kyungsoo’s calves, he falls, landing among the gentle waves with a splash. Whatever spell was over Chanyeol is broken, and he rushes over to Kyungsoo, assuming he fainted or something.

Kyungsoo’s facing away from Chanyeol, low in the water, shoulders hunched and head dipped down as if expecting a blow. Clear as day, Chanyeol can see the silvery grey tail skim through the shallow water, the delicate caudal fin fluttering nervously in the loose sand. Struggling to stop himself from gaping openly, Chanyeol’s eyes slowly follow the tail up to where it vanishes under the hem of the shirt Kyungsoo is wearing.

For a long time, the only sound is the gentle lapping of waves against the sand. Then Chanyeol kneels down beside Kyungsoo, letting his shorts get wet without a thought. Kyungsoo flinches at the sound, practically cowering now, so Chanyeol reaches out as gently as he can, touching the wet fabric of his shirt. He presses his hand flat against Kyungsoo’s back between his shoulder blades, and it strikes Chanyeol how small Kyungsoo is, that his large hand nearly takes up the entire space.

“Kyungsoo,” he tries to say, but half doesn’t make it out of his throat and the other half gets blown away by the wind. When he tries again, it’s too loud. “Kyungsoo.”

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo says, still not looking up at Chanyeol. “I lied to you, I’m sorry.”

After a pause, Chanyeol focuses on one question, even as his mind buzzes with a thousand more. “How did you become human? And why? Wait… Kyungsoo… Look at me please. I’m not angry.”

Finally Kyungsoo turns his head, warily looking over his shoulder at Chanyeol. He just glances at him at first, then looks away, then looks back into his face. Chanyeol tries to make his emotions transparent on his face, because it’s true, he thinks, he isn’t angry. He’s confused, yes. Maybe he’ll be angry later, in fact he probably will. But now Chanyeol can see Kyungsoo is scared, and he never wants Kyungsoo to be scared of him.

For a moment Kyungsoo just looks at him, eyebrows scrunched together in worry, before slowly rolling over in the shallow water onto his side, head still dipped low as if to show submission. To show he isn’t a threat, even though he could be. And he looks different, just slightly. Beyond the tail, which Chanyeol is pointedly not thinking about right now, Kyungsoo’s skin shimmers, like it had when Chanyeol first found him, like a clear oil slick, or like he’s been sweating through some heavy highlighter. That sounds gross and unromantic though, so Chanyeol eventually amends it to opalescent.

Kyungsoo’s lips look slightly different too, and it’s not until he nervously bites his lip that Chanyeol sees why. Instead of a familiar line of straight human teeth, Kyungsoo’s teeth are all sharp and long, like his mouth is full of canine teeth.

“You were mine, on the sinking,” Kyungsoo says quietly. “You were my- my responsibility. But it was my first sinking and I… I was scared. I didn’t want to.”

“You are the one who saved me,” Chanyeol says, expecting Kyungsoo to answer, although it isn’t a question.

“I swam you back to the beach. But the others knew. That I hadn’t done it properly. And I had to finish the task, so they sent me to The Lady.”

“Who? Like Ursula?”

Kyungsoo offers a small smile then, flashing his weird pointy little fish teeth. “The Lady is good, not like Ursula. She keeps the balance. But she is like a witch like Ursula. To complete my task, she sent me to live on land.”

“So touching water makes you turn back into a mermaid?”

“Returning to home waters. That is why your baths and showers and dishwashing did not affect me. It is how I return to the others when my task is complete.”

“Is your task complete?”

“No… Chanyeol. You don’t understand?”

“Uh… no?”

“Each of us target a certain human on a sinking, to lure with our voices… to kill them.”

“You were turned human… sent on land to kill me?”

Kyungsoo nods, looking down shamefully as the tears building up in his eyes finally drip down his cheeks.

“Were you planning to kill me?” Chanyeol asks. He knows the answer, because he knows Kyungsoo. But he needs to ask for Kyungsoo’s benefit.

“No!”

“Then what’re you crying for?”

“I...I don’t know.” Kyungsoo rubs his eyes and raises his head to look at the horizon. “I need to get you back to Minseok’s boat.”

“Yeah, but I don’t see it,” Chanyeol says, sitting fully down in the water, soaking his clothes completely.

Kyungsoo drags himself into deeper water, moving with his elbows, tail wiggling pretty uselessly behind him. It’s pretty cute and god, Chanyeol still can’t fully comprehend that yes, mermaids are real, and yes, Kyungsoo is one. Eventually Kyungsoo gets to water deep enough for him to swim around in, and he gestures for Chanyeol to follow.

“I know where the boat is now, I’ll take you there,” he says over the water. “You can’t stay here.”

Feeling a little nervous, Chanyeol doggy paddles out to Kyungsoo. He wonders if he should still trust him. Something in Chanyeol’s animal instincts are telling him that the creature before him is dangerous, the inhuman sheen to his skin, the sharp teeth of a predator. But the rest of his instincts are telling him that this is still just Kyungsoo, who Chanyeol loves and trusts. Wow, now is totally not the time to get fussed over the L word.

Kyungsoo swivels in the water until he has his back to Chanyeol. “Hold onto me, like it’s a piggyback.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol says, nodding, even though Kyungsoo can’t see. Carefully, Chanyeol wraps his arms and legs around Kyungsoo. It’s super weird. Seeing the grey fishtail on the bottom half of an otherwise humanoid creature was kind of off putting, but it’s nothing compared to having it between his knees. It’s like… well. A fish. Kind of cold and clammy, slippery.

Before Chanyeol can ruminate further, Kyungsoo says, “Hold me tight,” and starts swimming. Weirder still.

Kyungsoo is inhumanly fast in the water, even with the air drag and Chanyeol on his back. His arms stay tucked at his sides, and his tail barely moves, just the speedy flick of his caudal fin behind them, and Chanyeol’s sure there’s some mermaid magic at play here making Kyungsoo move so fast.

It’s difficult for Chanyeol to see where they’re going, trying to keep his head down to avoid extra drag, seawater splashing up into his face and eyes, but eventually he sees the familiar shape of Minseok’s boat on the horizon. When they reach it, Chanyeol lets go of Kyungsoo, letting the water pull them apart.

“Are you gonna change back into a human?” Chanyeol asks, touching the side of the boat to steady himself. It reminds him of the sinking, and makes his heart beat quicker, scaring him.

Low in the water, only the top of Kyungsoo’s cheeks and up are visible. He looks up at Chanyeol with wide eyes, looking like he’s on the brink of tears again.

Kyungsoo raises his head out of the water for a moment to say, “I can’t change back now Chanyeol,” and then his head dips under the water and he’s gone.

It takes Chanyeol a moment to realize, dunking his own head to squint through the water, looking for Kyungsoo. Stupidly he tries to yell for him underwater, no thinking, and comes up sputtering and coughing.

“Wait,” he gets out, but he’s sure by now it doesn’t matter. Kyungsoo’s gone.

“Chanyeol?”

From above, Minseok’s voice drifts down to Chanyeol as he treads water. Suddenly with Kyungsoo gone, the fear of being in the sea again hits Chanyeol full force. Minseok is leaning over the side of the boat now.

“Chanyeol, what happened? Are you-” Turning back, Minseok calls to Junmyeon, “It’s Chanyeol, hang on.”

Then with a splash, Minseok is beside Chanyeol in the water, drifting closer, putting a hand on his shoulder and the other supporting him in the water.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Minseok says calmly, and Chanyeol believes him almost at once. “There’s no danger. The sea is peaceful and you can swim, and I’m here. Let’s get back on the boat, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol replies, a little breathless from the panic.

Steadied by Minseok, they make their way to the back of the boat and climb back on board.

“Get a towel,” Minseok calls to Junmyeon before crouching beside Chanyeol where he sits. “Kyungsoo?”

Wide-eyed, Chanyeol looks at Minseok. Chanyeol knows he can trust him, he can see an understanding in Minseok’s sober face. “He’s gone. He’s gone back.”

Minseok sighs then, heavy and sad, bringing a hand up to rub his forehead. “I shouldn’t have left you guys there. I’m sorry Chanyeol.”

Then he leaves Chanyeol alone, sitting looking out at the water off the end of the boat. Chanyeol can hear Minseok speaking quietly to Junmyeon, but he can’t make out the words, and he doesn’t care to know what they’re saying anyway. When Junmyeon drapes a towel around Chanyeol’s shoulders, rubbing his back, either to comfort him or dry him off, he doesn’t ask where Kyungsoo is.

When they get back to the island, they return to the lighthouse. Chanyeol sits at the old dining table, staring flatly down at its worn surface. What is he going to tell his mother? Even though he knows it’s not true, it feels to Chanyeol like Kyungsoo had drowned out there. Is that what he has to tell people? He barely thinks about the reveal, the final irrefutable confirmation that Kyungsoo is indeed a mermaid. All Chanyeol can think about is that he might never see Kyungsoo again.

“Tell your mother Kyungsoo is staying with me,” Minseok finally says. He’s been sitting across from Chanyeol in silence, looking just as upset, but thinking. “I’m leaving for another site soon, and we’ll say Kyungsoo went with me.”

“She’ll want to see him though,” Chanyeol mumbles.

“Then we’ll deal with that when the issue arises,” Minseok replies, brisk and businesslike and Chanyeol nods, trusting Minseok, especially when he sounds so sure.

And Chanyeol’s mother does buy it. She seems a little bereft at dinner, and looks sad when she says goodnight to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo isn’t there, but doesn’t ask any awkward questions. Chanyeol deflects any questions about his mood by saying he’s tired. When he goes to bed, he refuses to lie awake and think about everything that’s happened, and luckily for him, he really is tired enough to fall asleep almost immediately.

The next day Chanyeol goes to the beach where he first found Kyungsoo and shouts his name out at the water until he goes hoarse. For some reason, he’s cross. He doesn’t want to sit and examine his feelings, but Chanyeol’s sure now that what he said was true. Kyungsoo being a mermaid is not a problem. He was mighty suspicious from the get-go anyway. Chanyeol literally has an entire notebook full of how bad Kyungsoo was at pretending to be human. And besides, Kyungsoo’s not just any mermaid, he’s _Chanyeol’s_ mermaid. He saved his life. Twice now, technically. Chanyeol’s cross, he thinks, because Kyungsoo is first and foremost his friend, and he wants him back.

It isn’t til Chanyeol’s voice is rough and scratchy and he’s sitting with his back to the ocean, sulking, that Kyungsoo shows up. Chanyeol’s glowering at the heather blowing in the summer breeze and Diana starts barking excitedly. Just like when he first found Kyungsoo, Chanyeol ignores the dog, assuming she’s getting worked up over a wayward seagull or something. But then he hears her go splashing into the water, and whips his head around with his frown still on.

“Diana-” he starts, intending to call her back, but then he catches sight of a familiar face among the waves and scrambles to his feet. “Kyungsoo!”

“I can’t stay long,” Kyungsoo says when Chanyeol gets into earshot. “It’s dangerous. Meet me here on Friday?”

Chanyeol’s up to his waist in water now, and Kyungsoo’s still too far out, probably trying to avoid being stranded.

“You’ll explain things? On Friday?” Chanyeol calls, fervently watching Kyungsoo’s head bob around in the waves, his black hair slicked wetly against his forehead.

“I’ll answer any questions you have,” Kyungsoo answers, quietly, but somehow it still carries across the waves, and Chanyeol hears it. “Bring your notebook. The one about me.”

Then with a little knowing smile, Kyungsoo pulls away, dipping underwater, and is gone. Chanyeol stands there in the waves, trousers soaked, speechless and ears burning. How did Kyungsoo know about Chanyeol’s notebook about him?!

Nevertheless, Chanyeol brings it that Friday, He may or may not be skipping school for this, but what’s one day of school? This is ten times more important.

When Kyungsoo appears again, he waves at Chanyeol from the water, indicating a direction, and swimming in it. Chanyeol follows along the beach. Finally they come to a cave of sorts, tucked under the cliff face, with flat rock outcroppings and a deep protected pool of water from the sea.

“I used to come here when I was younger,” Kyungsoo explains, swimming right up to the edge of the rocks. Up close like this, Chanyeol can see Kyungsoo’s still wearing his overlarge black shirt, the bottom tied up in a little knot at his waist.

Nodding, Chanyeol looks around before sitting. “Me too. I forgot it was even here.”

Chanyeol smooths his notebook on his lap, and pulls out the extra papers tucked in the back. Yesterday after school he had used the library computer to compile a list of piercings and printed it out for consultation. Kyungsoo hoists himself up onto the smooth slab of rock at Chanyeol’s feet and rests his chin on Chanyeol’s knee, trying to look at his notes. Pushing Kyungsoo’s face away from his now damp knee, Chanyeol kicks off his flip-flops and slides down to sit beside Kyungsoo, letting his feet dangle in the warm water.

“What’s all this?” Kyungsoo asks, immediately resting his head of Chanyeol’s shoulder and poking a finger at the list of piercings, leaving a wet dot on the paper.

Frowning, Chanyeol jerks his notebook away from Kyungsoo’s wandering fingers. “Drippy,” he grumbles. “I wanna know about your piercings. What they mean, because they’re like charms, yeah? You can tell me now, right?”

Kyungsoo nods, lifting his head off Chanyeol’s shoulder but not leaning away. Chanyeol notices he can’t really sit up, like with the tail he just doesn’t bend properly, or have an ass to sit on, he can only recline. The end of his tail drifts through the water lazily as he watches Chanyeol, careful not to drip on his papers again.

“Lemme, uh…” Chanyeol tugs at Kyungsoo’s closest ear, peering between it and his print-outs before sighing and turning the page. “You have so many on your ears. Tell me the body ones first.”

“Move this,” Kyungsoo says, nudging Chanyeol’s notebook, before leaning away from Chanyeol and swinging his tail up onto his lap.

Chanyeol barely gets his notebook out of the way before the wet weight lands across his thighs. He gasps in dramatic offence at Kyungsoo, who flops his tail a bit with a smug little smile on his face, flicking water at Chanyeol’s face.

“The piercings there are for swiftness when escaping predators,” Kyungsoo explains, pointing down at his caudal fin. Chanyeol takes the delicate tissue in his free hand, where it twitches slightly under his fingertips. Along the left edge of the fin—Kyungsoo’s left, Chanyeol makes sure to specify in his notes—run two silver rings, and then below them two silver studs.

“If it was on the other side it would be for swiftness when pursuing prey.”

“Right,” Chanyeol says, scribbling that down hastily. He makes a face again when Kyungsoo slides his tail back into the water, leaving the lap of Chanyeol’s shorts wet. Rolling over, Kyungsoo drapes his upper half over Chanyeol’s lap instead.

Chanyeol sighs, but he doesn’t really mind. “I should’ve just worn my swim trunks,” he grumbles.

It shuts Chanyeol up real quick when Kyungsoo pulls down the collar of his shirt, revealing his left collarbone, under which two little silver orbs are nestled. “This is obedience.”

“Minseok has the same on the other side,” Chanyeol says, resting his free hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, toying with the wet fabric of his old shirt, eyeing the piercings but not moving to touch them.

After a pause, Kyungsoo takes Chanyeol’s free hand in his own and moves it himself to sit on his collarbone. Pursing his lips nervously, Chanyeol pokes the metal gingerly with his thumb, his palm resting on Kyungsoo’s wet chest.

“The other side is... leadership,” Kyungsoo answers finally.

Chanyeol nods jerkily and tears his eyes away from Kyungsoo’s collarbone, frowning in concentration at his notes. “Right side is leadership…”

“I used to have allure,” Kyungsoo says, sticking out his tongue and poking it, “and uh, strength?” He presses a finger into each cheek.

“Cheek piercings,” Chanyeol mumbles as he writes it out. “Strength. Why strength? ...why allure for that matter? On the tongue?” Chanyeol’s own cheeks go pink in embarrassment, but Kyungsoo doesn’t notice.

“Allure is two studs in a row. It’s about singing. We sing to draw sailors in. So, allure,” Kyungsoo explains, watching Chanyeol’s pencil scribble away notes. “Strength is not a good word for the cheeks. It’s more like, viciousness. The strength needed to take a life.”

Chanyeol’s eyebrows shoot up and he stretches his mouth into a grimace. “Got it. Because it’s like, mouth adjacent, right?”

Nodding, Kyungsoo props himself up on an elbow and reaches up to tap Chanyeol’s neck with two fingers. “You bite here,” he moves his hand down to tap the inside of Chanyeol’s thigh, “or here.”

“Jugular or femoral artery,” Chanyeol nods, pointedly removing Kyungsoo’s hand and squeezing his legs closed. “Why don’t you have them anymore? The cheeks and tongue I mean.”

“The Lady said metal is bad for human teeth, and the cheeks would be too conspicuous,” Kyungsoo says, almost poutily, flopping back down onto Chanyeol’s lap with a huff. “I liked them. Although I suppose they didn’t suit me very well.”

“I’m sure they looked nice,” Chanyeol says, although he likes Kyungsoo’s cheeks the way they are now too.

“I meant the meaning.” Kyungsoo lets his eyes drift across the water. “If I had the strength to take a human life, we would not be here.”

“Okay, uh, your ears…”

“They do not have as specific a meaning. They are more like...medals. The three along the edge,” Kyungsoo’s fingers trace over the small ring piercing his lobe and the two rings beside it, “are for my loyalty to the group. I learned well from them and defended our food from other groups.”

“So you live in little groups?” Chanyeol asks when Kyungsoo pauses. He can’t help but remember how Kyungsoo said he did not have a family or home. How critical he was of Ariel for leaving the sea when she had those things.

“Yes. For safety, and strength. You cannot sink a ship alone,” Kyungsoo recites. “You cannot kill a shark alone.”

Chanyeol gawks at Kyungsoo lounging down in his lap. “You’ve killed a shark?”

“Yes. No part of it goes to waste, so there is no shame in their death,” Kyungsoo explains. “Once another member of my group and I took down a whole… the white and black one? Orca! Orca. By ourselves. That is why I have this piercing,” Kyungsoo touches a piercing in his right ear. Chanyeol finds it on his print-out. Helix piercing, it says. He writes it down. “It is for providing well.”

“Wow! Kyungsoo, that’s so badass!” Chanyeol calms down for a moment, doodling a little cartoon mermaid Kyungsoo fighting a shark with a spear. “This group member? They were your friend?”

Growing silent, Kyungsoo seems to ponder the question. “He was a helpful partner when hunting.”

“Okay… and this, on your left ear? Um,” Chanyeol consults his print-out again, “Industrial?”

The picture in the print-out is an arrow going through the top of a person’s ear, but Kyungsoo’s is simply the same burnished silver metal as the rest of them, a rod with the outer ends twisted in to prevent it from sliding out. All the piercings have a rustic sort of look to them, nothing fancy, just robust and simple. Chanyeol wonders if the salt water of the sea helps them not get infected, or if mermaids are just immune to that sort of thing.

“You get this for surviving childhood.”

Without warning, Kyungsoo lifts the front of Chanyeol’s shirt to expose his tummy, examining it with a hard look.

“Hey,” Chanyeol squawks, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hand where it holds his shirt up, trying to pull his shirt back down. “Leave off! What-”

Kyungsoo jabs at Chanyeol’s bellybutton with his other hand. “I bet you can pierce this.”

“Yes! It’s a common spot!” Chanyeol answers in a high-pitched, affronted voice, glowering down at Kyungsoo. “Now, do you mind-”

Acquiescing, Kyungsoo rolls onto his back with a sigh, letting Chanyeol’s shirt drop back into place. “I want one.”

“You don’t have a bellybutton like this,” Chanyeol points out, poking Kyungsoo in the stomach in retaliation. “And there wouldn’t be a meaning for it. Since there’s no mermaid tradition of bellybutton piercings. Since you don’t have them.”

“ _I_ know that. Could make up a meaning,” Kyungsoo grumbles.

“Look I hate to ask, but. You said there’s no shame in killing sharks and stuff, because you eat them. So you… don’t eat humans?”

“Of course not,” Kyungsoo says with a frown. “They are for the sea. Apparently. It seems like such a waste.”

“Yeah…” Chanyeol looks down at his notebook again, writing “humans for the sea, not for eating”.

They sit in silence for a moment then, looking out the small cave opening towards the open sea. Kyungsoo sighs.

“I miss being dry.”

“Me too,” Chanyeol grumbles, pinching at the hem of his shirt, now also getting wet along with his shorts.

Kyungsoo frowns imperiously up at him before turning to press his face into Chanyeol’s thigh in a pout.

“Aren’t you glad to be home?” Chanyeol offers quietly, sensing a change in atmosphere.

It takes Kyungsoo a moment to answer, and he doesn’t look up when he does, his voice muffled. “What do you mean?”

“Well I mean, you were stuck with me on land for like half a year.” Chanyeol’s hand shakes a bit before he works up the courage to let it rest on the small of Kyungsoo’s back, but Kyungsoo doesn’t even flinch at the contact. “You must’ve missed home, right?”

Kyungsoo twists onto his side to fix Chanyeol with The Look, Chanyeol’s hand shifting with him to rest on his hip. It strikes Chanyeol how the fear that first gripped his heart when he saw that look on Kyungsoo’s face is now totally absent. Almost like Kyungsoo’s just a human friend giving him a rather cross look, Chanyeol’s totally used to it.

“I _am_ home,” Kyungsoo says forcefully. He almost sounds...angry?

“That’s what I’m saying!” Chanyeol smiles at Kyungsoo not understanding.

But Kyungsoo’s face stays sober and heart-stoppingly intense. “No,” he barks. “I am home _now_.”

“What-” Chanyeol starts, only to have the rest of his sentence sort of die in his throat when Kyungsoo puts his wet palm gently but firmly against Chanyeol’s chest, not breaking eye contact.

“With you.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol says to calm Kyungsoo down, putting his hand over Kyungsoo’s. “What about your friend? The one who helped you take down the orca?”

“I said he was a good partner,” Kyungsoo answers solemnly, dropping his hand out from under Chanyeol’s and lying back down on his lap. “We do not have friends or families. It is not the way. There are alliances, but they are for greater strength, not for any other reason. We have no grand palaces, or king, or musical entertainments. No homes.”

“That’s why you didn’t like Ariel, huh?” Chanyeol says quietly. “She had all that and she still wanted more. ...What about the tattoo? On your back? Minseok had something similar, but much more elaborate.”

“As we grow and become more accomplished, more is added to it. Minseok is older than me, and more experienced.”

“He asked about the circles…” Chanyeol struggles to remember. “If they’re hollow, or inked in? His were inked in. Yours aren’t? Does that mean something?”

“It signifies true adulthood. When you have killed your first human.” Kyungsoo doesn’t meet Chanyeol’s eye, gaze wandering.

“So Minseok…”

“Yes. But I would not be scared of him. He is a good person.”

“He’s moving to the city,” Chanyeol says, smiling tightly down at Kyungsoo. “Minseok. He got a job offer from a fancy institution there. And as far as my mother knows, you’re going with him.”

“That’s what you told her?”

Chanyeol nods. He wants to tell Kyungsoo that his mother misses him. That he misses him. They want him home. But whatever Kyungsoo says, Chanyeol thinks he must be home now, in the sea. He doesn’t want to make Kyungsoo feel guilty by telling him they want him back on land. Chanyeol can only hope Kyungsoo’s time on land with him will become a treasured memory, for both of them.

They chatter on about other things, not mermaid information, but Kyungsoo asking about other people on the island, how they are, what they’re up to, until it’s dusk.

“You should go home,” Kyungsoo tells Chanyeol. “She’ll know you were skipping school.”

“Will you visit me again?” Chanyeol asks immediately.

With a sad purse of his lips, Kyungsoo slips off Chanyeol’s lap, into the water. The shirt he’s wearing had almost completely dried out, only to be drenched alongside Kyungsoo’s hair when he submerges his head for a moment.

“I’ll try to,” Kyungsoo says when he raises his head again. “I don’t know when. I want to show you my treasures.”

“...is that like…?” Chanyeol’s ears burn before he remembers who he’s talking to. “Uh, what treasures? You have a trove like Ariel?”

Kyungsoo frowns, playing around. “Not like Ariel! I know not to keep my books underwater!”

“You have books?”

“Just a few… That’s how I knew what a bicycle was,” Kyungsoo says proudly. “I salvaged them from a beach. Anyway. I have to go.”

“Okay. See you when I see you, yeah?”

“Yeah. Goodbye Chanyeol.”

With a soft smile, Kyungsoo pushes away from the rocky outcropping, turning and diving, silvery tail flashing up above water a second afterwards before he completely disappears.

Chanyeol climbs the hill back up to his home, heart full. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Even when Kyungsoo is a mermaid, if Chanyeol can still see him on a regular basis, it’ll be okay. Chanyeol stays up late sketching Kyungsoo in the remaining pages of his notebook, detailing his deep eyes and sweet smile just as carefully as the meanings behind his piercings and tattoo.

It’s two months later when Chanyeol sees Kyungsoo again. In the meantime, Chanyeol finishes high school. He expected it to be more scary, or liberating, being finished, but it’s not really at the front of his mind, even as he joins the crowd of celebrating students leaving their last exam of the year. He’s glad it’s over. There isn’t anything there for him anymore.

And it kills him that he can’t run and tell Kyungsoo, and have Kyungsoo smile at him and be proud of him. Chanyeol sits on the beach as it gets dark that evening and hopes Kyungsoo will show up, somehow knowing it’s a special day, but he doesn’t. It scares Chanyeol for a bunch of reasons. The sea’s dangerous, and Chanyeol would have no way of knowing if Kyungsoo is out there, hurt. There’s no set time for them to meet up, now that Kyungsoo isn’t just there all the time. Chanyeol thinks about how he probably should have gotten sick of having Kyungsoo around all the time, but he never did. And now Kyungsoo’s never around.

It’s not like his sister in the city, which seemed like a terrible separation at the time. They can telephone, email, arrange visits. In the sea, Kyungsoo is unreachable. Unfathomable. Maybe Chanyeol and his mother are even going to go live in the city too, and they can see his sister all the time. The reality of that catches up to Chanyeol then. Why had it never occurred to him before? If they moved to the city, Chanyeol really would never see Kyungsoo again.

Chanyeol doesn’t mention it to his mother, but he has trouble sleeping several nights after.

It’s early in the morning on just such a night when Chanyeol sees Kyungsoo again. Kept awake by his thoughts, Chanyeol sits looking out his open window at the darkened sea. His sketchbook is open in front of him, a pencil in his hand, but it’s too dark, and he really doesn’t have any urge to draw. He just sits and lets the night breeze cool his face.

Then he hears it. Drifting up to his house from the beach is a beautiful song, cool and haunting, carried up to Chanyeol by the wind. As soon as Chanyeol confirms it isn’t his imagination, he tosses his sketchbook aside on his bed, and dashes out into the hall.

Pausing by the back door, Chanyeol jams his feet into a pair of ratty old flip-flops, and rushes out in nothing but a t-shirt and pyjama pants.

Catching sight of Kyungsoo in the water, face shining with the pale light of the moon, Chanyeol doesn’t pause at the shoreline, desperately wading right into the waves until his feet barely touch the rocky bottom, but his fingers can reach out and touch Kyungsoo. Forgetting the strangeness of touching Kyungsoo in his mermaid form, Chanyeol takes a deep breath and submerges his head, pulling Kyungsoo into his arms. All he can think is that it’s Kyungsoo, and he’s missed him so much it hurts.

Gently, Kyungsoo rests his hands around Chanyeol’s waist, letting them drift up until their heads surface. They stay like that, Chanyeol’s arms wrapped tightly around Kyungsoo, legs moving to keep them afloat. Kyungsoo’s tail moves in the water too, pushing them to drift with the current.

Eventually Kyungsoo breaks the silence. “Chanyeol. You’ll get sick.”

“I missed you. Will you stay with me a while? On the beach?” Chanyeol asks, not letting go yet.

“Yes.”

Reluctantly, Chanyeol lets go of Kyungsoo, keeping ahold of one of his hands. Kyungsoo swims towards shore, towing Chanyeol along by his hand.

“If I come up on the beach with you, will you carry me back out when I have to go?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol says, even though he’s not sure he’ll be able to. Not emotionally, just physically speaking. Kyungsoo’s a lot heavier when half of him is a fish.

But Chanyeol sits on the beach, the tiniest of waves lapping at his feet, and Kyungsoo wiggles up beside him, pulling himself through the sand on his elbows. Chanyeol frowns at his feet. He’s lost a flip-flop. Whatever. Shimmying down to let the waves reach his knees, Chanyeol lies down beside Kyungsoo in the sand. A couple rocks poke him in the back uncomfortably, but he doesn’t mind.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to come back,” Kyungsoo says when they’re lying side by side, looking up at the starry sky. The moon looks almost full. “I was going to show you my treasures, but… they’re gone now.”

“What happened?” Chanyeol turns to look at Kyungsoo, brows furrowed in concern, heart sinking.

“Others found them. It might have been another group or my old group.”

“They destroyed them?”

“Some. Other mermaids like keeping trophies, so they stole some of my treasures,” Kyungsoo speaks levely, like he’s accepted the destruction of his trove. It could have happened months ago, Chanyeol hasn’t seen him in so long. “The shiny things, and the jewellery. The books are destroyed by the water. I saved my favourite things though.”

Suddenly Kyungsoo sticks his right hand out in front of Chanyeol’s face. After the initial startle, Chanyeol takes ahold of it. On Kyungsoo’s wrist is a cheap little plastic bracelet, with pink hearts and blue stars, faded and worn by the sea. Chanyeol thinks his sister used to have a bunch like it when she was a kid, from inside chocolate eggs at Easter.

“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol laughs, grinning, “this is garbage.”

With an offended huff, Kyungsoo snatches back his wrist, toying with the bracelet.

“You’re so cute,” Chanyeol says without thinking. He doesn’t want Kyungsoo to actually get upset over this. “It’s cute that you find something like that worthy of being called a treasure. Humans throw things away so easily. What else is there?”

After a pause, as if wondering if he can trust Chanyeol, Kyungsoo pulls a black bobble hat out from under his shirt. (Chanyeol’s shirt, still, looking a little worse for wear.) It’s terribly mangled, but Chanyeol can make out the yellow and white colours and a little logo of a penguin with a hockey stick.

“The Pittsburgh Penguins?” Chanyeol scoffs. “How did this end up here?”

“No, it’s a hat Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol laughs, taking the hat and examining it with a frown.

“It’s not garbage!” Kyungsoo says quickly when Chanyeol opens his mouth, grabbing the hat back.

Laughing again, Chanyeol peeks at Kyungsoo’s peeved expression, holding the hat against his chest.

“Sorry. It’s just seen better days is all,” Chanyeol tries to pacify Kyungsoo again. “Next time we see each other I’ll bring you a nice bracelet. A proper treasure. Can I keep the hat? If you don’t have anywhere to keep it, I’ll keep it safe for you.”

Silently, Kyungsoo passes Chanyeol the hat. “Don’t bin it.”

“I won’t, I promise! Just because it’s old doesn’t mean… I know it’s important to you Kyungsoo. I’m sorry I called your treasures garbage. Why do you collect these things?”

Kyungsoo looks away from Chanyeol then, back up at the stars. “The others like keeping trophies, to wear. Like these,” he touches his ear, “and the tattoo, they’re signs of status.”

“But what about _you_?”

“I… I like humans. They’re so interesting.” Kyungsoo fiddles with his hands, looking down at them, moving the bracelet around his wrist. “I wanted to know about them.”

“So… like Ariel?” Chanyeol teases, nudging Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo purses his lips, narrowing his eyes at Chanyeol. “Maybe.”

“What’s so special about humans?”

“So many things. I could never know how many things until I stayed on land with you. You have movies and bicycles and baking and friends and kissing and families and _homes_ ,” Kyungsoo sounds excited, and when Chanyeol glances over at him, Kyungsoo’s eyes seem to dance with stars. “Actually being a human felt amazing. Being able to experience all those things for myself.”

“I mean, there’s also war and poverty and death—and I’m just listing the four horsemen of the apocalypse here but you get the idea. Pollution.” Chanyeol thinks about how Kyungsoo’s “treasures” ended up in the sea in the first place. “Political corruption. Killing off other species and ruining the planet.”

“But you feel guilty about all these things,” Kyungsoo says, turning to stare at Chanyeol again, although it isn’t a question. Kyungsoo says it like he _knows_. “You want to help make the world a better place.”

“Well, I mean, yeah, of course.”

“That is why I like humans.”

“Not all humans are like that though.”

“I don’t care about _all_ humans,” Kyungsoo answers, leveling a piercing gaze at Chanyeol.

They lie there in silence, heavy in the dark of night, but not awkward. Deep night is meant for silence, and Chanyeol feels at peace to just be beside Kyungsoo. He feels the weight of Kyungsoo’s words like a rock sitting on his chest, holding him down as he looks up at the distant stars. Yet it isn’t burdensome, because this is just where Chanyeol wants to be held.

“I lost a flip-flop,” he finally says. “They were my favourite pair, it’s so difficult to find good flip-flops.”

Kyungsoo says nothing, but when Chanyeol turns to look at him, he’s smiling in amusement, eyes closed peacefully.

“You liked being a human?”

“Very much.”

“D’you ever think about coming back? About being a human again?”

“All the time. But I’m scared. I haven’t returned to the others since I returned to the sea. They will know I failed. I wish I had the power to turn myself human again forever, and stay with you.”

“I want you back,” Chanyeol says. He had kept it to himself, not wanting to pressure Kyungsoo. But he can’t keep quiet after such a long absence. And knowing Kyungsoo wants the same thing fills Chanyeol with a bittersweet hope. “I want you to come with me and Mum.”

“Are you going somewhere?”

“We-” Chanyeol’s voice breaks, and he clears his throat awkwardly, “We might be moving to the city. On the mainland. Where my sister’s studying. Where Minseok lives now. My Mum’s always wanted to go I think, and now with my father still in hospital there, and me graduated high school, there’s nothing really keeping her here.”

“Oh.”

“I wish Minseok were here,” Chanyeol says, suddenly needing desperately to fill the silence, because otherwise he might cry. “He’d know what to do. He could go into the water. He’d know what to do.”

“Probably.” Kyungsoo pauses. “If I was a human again, you’d want me back? To come live with you again?”

“Of course,” Chanyeol answers, voice breaking again. Hot tears finally spill from his eyes, dripping down his temples to wet his ears.

With some difficulty and tail wriggling, Kyungsoo turns over onto his side, pressing himself against Chanyeol’s arm. In turn Chanyeol rolls over, slinging an arm over Kyungsoo and drawing him close. It’s terribly uncomfortable, the ground presses harshly into Chanyeol’s side and Kyungsoo’s all gross and wet with salty seawater.

“God,” Chanyeol laughs, still crying “you’re all cold and wiggly, like hugging a fish.”

Kyungsoo wiggles around on purpose this time, flopping his tail, smug little smile on his face.

“Hey,” a thought occurs to Chanyeol, “I have one more question actually. How did you pick your birthday? You were like counting the days?”

“Beside the calendar was the telephone, with a sticky note that had the diner number on it. The last two numbers are 47, so I picked them, and counted 47 days after your birthday. I know I’m only a little younger than you, but we don’t have birthdays so I had to improvise.”

“That’s so dumb.”

Frowning, Kyungsoo smacks Chanyeol’s arm gently. “I thought I was being pretty clever.”

After a pause, Kyungsoo pulls away, propping himself up on his elbows.

“The sun is rising,” he says, looking out at the horizon where the sky is becoming lighter.

Chanyeol sits up too. “Will I see you again?”

“I hope so. I’ll try harder to come back sooner.” With a few shifts of his hips, Kyungsoo lies across Chanyeol’s lap. “I want to see the sun rise, and then you should carry me back out.”

The sunrise is beautiful, but some part of Chanyeol hates it, because it feels like a goodbye. The sky becomes a light blue, and the stars vanish bit by bit, outshone by the rising sun as it paints the clouds on the horizon a soft pink and gold. Chanyeol doesn’t even realize he’s crying for a moment, cheeks wet, until he sniffles loudly, startling Kyungsoo.

“Why are you crying?”

“It’s just,” Chanyeol sniffs again, “it’s really nice.”

“Carry me back?”

“Yeah.”

It takes some maneuvering to get Kyungsoo back into the water, but Chanyeol manages. (So maybe he ends up mostly dragging Kyungsoo, what of it? He’s a heavy fishy.)

When they’re both up to their necks in water, Kyungsoo pulls away with a soft smile. He looks at Chanyeol silently, then his eyebrows lower and he fixes Chanyeol with a strangely determined expression.

“I’ll see you soon, okay Chanyeol?”

“Okay.” Chanyeol hopes it’s true. “Bye Kyungsoo. Be safe out there.”

With a wave of his hand and a flick of his tail, Kyungsoo is gone, back below the sea. The sensation in Chanyeol’s chest is odd. He feels hope, that Kyungsoo will return soon, but also a reluctance to let that hope grow. Kyungsoo’s treasured hat in hand, Chanyeol climbs the hill back up to his house, sneaking in and getting out of his wet clothes before his mother gets up.

This time, it is only two days until Chanyeol sees Kyungsoo again, and it is in a wildly unexpected place. Chanyeol’s mother is in the kitchen making dinner, and Chanyeol’s in the backyard, dutifully hanging up wet laundry on the washing line, when there’s a polite knock on the back gate. At first Chanyeol thinks it’s something falling over, because who knocks on the back gate? It’s not even a metre tall and is in fact propped open pretty much all the time.

Chanyeol’s entirely unprepared to see Kyungsoo standing there in the gateway, hand poised to knock again. Standing. On legs. No pointy teeth. He’s wearing the same thing he first washed up in, all those months ago, just a black t-shirt and black corduroy trousers, but he’s dry. Around his right wrist, his little treasured bracelet. Chanyeol just stares, mouth dropping open a sliver.

“...Kyungsoo…?”

“Hi.”

“How are you here?” Chanyeol asks breathlessly, dropping the laundry he’s holding back into the basket and taking the few small steps across the garden to stand in front of Kyungsoo.

“I’m here to kill you again,” Kyungsoo says, lips curling mischievously. “Only this time I can’t return to my other form until I do. The sea can’t change me back anymore.”

“You mean The Lady—actually I never asked you about her did I—she did this?” As if to check that Kyungsoo is truly there, Chanyeol reaches out to hold his arms, above the elbows, and Kyungsoo rests his palms against Chanyeol’s chest.

“I asked her for this. I said I wanted to try again, to kill you, I was lying, but she knew.” Kyungsoo smiles brightly. “She knew the truth and she still let me come back. And I told you, she keeps the balance, she’s good. She watches over the sea at night.”

It dawns on Chanyeol then, and he looks out for a moment at the horizon, where the sky meets the sea. “The moon? The Lady is the moon?”

“I was trying to be vague,” Kyungsoo frowns, “you’re not supposed to know about these things.”

“It’s only fair you tell me about mermaid things, after all the human education I’ve given you,” Chanyeol says, grinning, unbearably happy. “I can’t believe you’re really here. And you’re staying?”

“Yes. There is one more thing…” Kyungsoo is looking mischievous again and he leans in closer, tilting his head up to watch Chanyeol’s face.

“What?”

“You have to kiss me. To seal the magic. Like in that movie. ”

“Which one?” Chanyeol asks quietly. Kyungsoo is so close to him his voice still sounds too loud in his ears.

“Whichever,” Kyungsoo says, smiling. “Just kiss me.”

How does Kyungsoo know Chanyeol’s been wanting to do this? Hesitating for a moment, some part of Chanyeol wonders what gave him away.

But he doesn’t want to miss this opportunity, so Chanyeol kisses him, tipping his head down and pressing his lips gently against Kyungsoo’s, holding Kyungsoo’s face carefully in his hands, thumbs skating across his cheekbones. Kyungsoo’s own hands stay pressed against Chanyeol’s chest between them.

And Chanyeol thought Kyungsoo was just messing around, but something does feel magical about the kiss, like in fairy tales when curses are broken with true love’s kiss. The wind ruffles their hair and clothes, and Chanyeol can imagine it as the whirl of shining magic that finishes Kyungsoo’s transformation into a human.

“Kyungsoo?”

Pulling away abruptly, guilty, Chanyeol turns to see his mother standing just outside the back door. After a moment, her shock melts away into a knowing smile.

“It’s so good to see you again,” she says to Kyungsoo, arms out, and Kyungsoo pulls away from Chanyeol to walks quickly up to her, accepting her embrace.

It’s muffled, but Chanyeol just manages to hear Kyungsoo say, “I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye before. It was too difficult.”

Chanyeol grins broadly, joy hitting him square in the chest.

“Are you…” Chanyeol’s mother trails off as they pull apart. “What are your plans Kyungsoo?”

“If you’ll have me, I’d like to come with you and Chanyeol and Diana.” Kyungsoo looks down at his feet bashfully, as if there were some chance they might refuse. “And live with you.”

As if she heard her name, Diana pokes her head out the door and bounds over to Kyungsoo, tail wagging excitedly. Just as Chanyeol taught him all those months ago, Kyungsoo offers his hand to Diana, palm up, but she brushes past it to get closer to him, tongue lolling out happily.

“Diana clearly approves. What do you think Chanyeol? Will you have him?” Chanyeol’s mother looks up at him with a sunny smile.

Matching it with his own, Chanyeol puts an arm around his mother’s shoulders, and one around Kyungsoo’s, squeezing them to him, almost too happy for words. “Of course!”

“Well, then I should go add another helping to dinner,” Chanyeol’s mother says, slipping back into the house, bright smile still on her face.

With his mother gone, Chanyeol turns back to face Kyungsoo. “So you’re really staying?”

Kyungsoo’s head is down, pretending to be occupied with petting Diana, and when he looks up his face is a little splotchy from crying, but he fixes Chanyeol with a stern look. “I have to now. You sealed the magic already.”

“Hmm,” Chanyeol pretends to think over something, playing along, “just to be sure, I think I’d better do it again, don’t you?”

Kyungsoo smiles sweetly, cheeks rounding happily, and eyes squeezing closed, and yeah, that’s a smile that makes Chanyeol feel great too. Safe, happy. Invincible.

“I agree.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!! :)


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